Heirs: The Next Generation
by AskEliz
Summary: Maritza Voss finds out that her biological father is Nathaniel Archibald, CEO and sole owner of the magazine, The Spectator. How will this information impact each other's personal lives? How will the gang react about the news? Will Maritza fit in the next generation of Gossip Girl? Extended summary inside. Rated T for cursing and future mature subjects. Rating subject to change.
1. Prologue

_**Summary (extended)**_ : Maritza Voss is 16 years old and is wanting to declare emancipation along with her best friend, Yakov Hamilton, from the foster care system. The last thing she needs to collect in order to confront the judge is the signature of her biological father. Her mother has been declared deceased ever since leaving Maritza at the orphanage when she was 6 months old, never being found ever since. The problem? Nathaniel Archibald, CEO and sole owner of the successful magazine, The Spectator, is Maritza's biological father. How will Nate react when he finds out about Maritza's existence and the fact that Majida never told him about her pregnancy 16 years ago? How will his children, Ronald and Alexa, react about their half-sister's existence? How will the rest of the gang react to the news? What happened between Nate and Majida 16 years ago? How did it all start? Why did Majida keep her pregnancy a secret and never told Nate? Why did she abandoned her 6 month old daughter and disappeared? How will Maritza fit with the next generation of Gossip Girl?

 **The families with the ages of their children:**

The Bass: Chuck + Blair = Henry (18), Daisy (12)

The Humphrey's: Serena + Dan = Lily (16), Alana (12)

The Archibald's: Liza (Deceased) + Nate = Ronald (17), Alexa (5)

Majida (Missing) + Nate = Maritza (16)

The Collin's: Jenny (Deceased) + Joshua (Deceased) = Jennifer (16, living with Dan and Serena)

 **Friends (for now)** :

The Martin's: Douglas + Elena = Fred (20), Izaac (16) (DIVORCED, Douglas is now married to Mary)

The Jones': Kevin + Samantha (Deceased) = Marc (16)

The Hansen's: Abby + Edmund = Max (21), Alex (16)

The Hughes': Tiffany + Alec = Kyle (16), Leon (18 and adopted) (Related to the Martin's/Izaac's family)

Yakov Hamilton (16, no information about his family yet)

 **Grades (with how they look):**

College:

Fred – messy brunette hair, blue eyes, pale skin, 5'12

Max – light blonde hair, blue eyes, pale skin, 5'10

12th grade:

Ronald – light brown hair (styles it the way Nate had his hair back in high school), brown eyes, pale skin, 5'12

Henry – pitch black hair (spikes his hair at times or combs it backwards), blue eyes, pale skin, 6'0

Leon – pitch black hair, brown eyes, pale skin, 5'10

11th grade:

Maritza – curly brunette hair, pale skin, brown eyes, 5'3

Jenny – straight blonde hair, pale skin, blue eyes, 5'11

Lily – straight brown hair, pale skin, brown eyes, 5'6

Izaac – blonde messy hair, pale skin, blue eyes, 6'1

Kyle – Strawberry/copper red hair, pale skin, brown eyes 5'12

Alex – blonde hair, pale skin, brown eyes, 6'1

Marc – black hair, pale skin, green eyes, 6'0

Yakov – blonde hair, pale skin, green eyes, 5'12

Middle School:

Alana – Curly blonde hair, pale skin, brown eyes, about 4'9 (59in)

Daisy – Curly brunette hair, pale skin, brown eyes, about 4'8 (58in)

Elementary:

Alexa: Long straight black hair, pale skin, blue eyes, about 3'3 (40in)

 **Main Characters (for now)** :

Maritza

Izaac

Kyle

Marc

Alex

Lily

Jenny

 **Supporting Characters (for now)** :

Nate

Ronald

Alexa

Blair

Chuck

Henry

Serena

Dan

Daisy

Alana

Yakov

Leon

 **Occasional (guest) appearances (for now)** :

Fred

Max

Eric (will be appearing later on, Serena's brother)

Abby

Edmund

Kevin

Douglas

Elena

Mary

Tiffany

Alec

Janet (Maritza's and Yakov's Social Worker)

Majida (memories)

Jenny (memories)

Joshua (memories)

Liza (memories)

Samantha (memories)

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl or the characters from the game Gossip Girl Party. Main characters, supporting characters, and guest characters along with the rating of the story are subject to change. (Example: Leon can either go from supporting to main or guest.) In addition, there is a possibility of new characters coming into the story that will be classified after the chapter they have appeared in the next upcoming one as either guest, supporting, or main. As you can see, those who are under guest will not have their appearance described until they appear on their designated chapter. We all have an idea about Chuck, Blair, Serena, Dan, Eric, and Nate's appearance, but if anything changes in their appearance, it will be updated on this summary page. New characters who have been classified after the chapter they appeared will also be added on this page with their designated group, bolded, and with (appears later on).**

 **And yes. Gossip Girl will make her grand appearance. As always. Enjoy!**

 **-AskEliz**


	2. Chapter 1: Surprise

**Disclaimer:** **I DON'T OWN THE GOSSIP GIRL OR GOSSIP GIRL PARTY CHARACTERS! ALL RIGHTFULLY TO THEIR OWNERS**

 _ **Summary (extended)**_ : Maritza Voss is 16 years old and is wanting to declare emancipation along with her best friend, Yakov Hamilton, from the foster care system. The last thing she needs to collect in order to confront the judge is the signature of her biological father. Her mother has been declared deceased ever since leaving Maritza at the orphanage when she was 6 months old, never being found ever since. The problem? Nathaniel Archibald, CEO and sole owner of the successful magazine, The Spectator, is Maritza's biological father. How will Nate react when he finds out about Maritza's existence and the fact that Majida never told him about her pregnancy 16 years ago? How will his children, Ronald and Alexa, react about their half-sister's existence? How will the rest of the gang react to the news? What happened between Nate and Majida 16 years ago? How did it all start? Why did Majida keep her pregnancy a secret and never told Nate? Why did she abandoned her 6 month old daughter and disappeared? How will Maritza fit with the next generation of Gossip Girl?

 **Disclaimer:** ** **I** don't own Gossip Girl or the characters from the game Gossip Girl Party. **

**Chapter 1: Surprise**

 **Maritza's POV**

My name is Maritza Voss. I'm 16, living in a shitty house with a family who just cares about themselves. I've been in the foster care system since I was 6 months old. Ever since, I've been hopping around homes, with some being abusive, while others being over the top nonchalant and being the babysitter to their younger children. Many ask why haven't I had a stable adoptive family and the truth is, I just have pure bad luck. Thankfully, I have my best friend, Yakov, along the ride of this foster care system. Now that I'm 16, we're both panning on declaring emancipation from this system.

We're both tired from all this crap. Hopping here. Hopping there. Couples looking at us like we're some puppies for sale at the orphanage.

I envy those who have stable homes, whose mother didn't drop them off like garbage or the father just never giving a damn about their child, never bothering to show up.

Anyway, who needs them when I have Yakov by my side? It's us against the world. That's funny. Us against the world. The world of pure darkness and dipshits of the reality a teenager without loving parents can face.

I can hear screams already. This early? Well, that's my signal to leave this house for the day.

I get up and put on my skinny black jeans, a tank top, a baby blue long sleeve sweater, and my red converse shoes. I tie my curly hair into a pony tail and put on my pink scarf and apply my make – up.

Usually, I apply some solar cream and cheap foundation with some eye liner I would buy from the cheapest store. Anyway, who would look at this damaged girl? I wouldn't want to deal with myself, nor would my real parents.

It's the reason why I'm in this situation in the first place. I came into this world unwanted, might as well leave the world unwanted.

I take one long look at myself and open the door and walk myself to the kitchen, where plates and food are all over the floor. I guess the screaming match ended into this. What a surprise.

Not. These adoptive parents are very violent and abusive when it comes to their relationship. Usually, to the point that both are sick mentally of pure jealousy. They need to separate and move on, but who cares right? It's their life.

I ignore the mess and start walking to the front door and open it. I see that my social worker is standing on the side walk, smiling. Great, did I forget to mention that I have a new social worker wanting to take care of my case? When will they rest and get that I will never have a normal life? I've tried telling them numerous times, but noooo, 'every kid can have a normal life.' Pfft. Yeah right.

I walk up to her with my hands on my pockets as she slides by me and doesn't bother looking inside the house.

She then turns around and looks at me. I look back at her with a shy smile as she smiles back and comes up to me, extending her hand.

"Hi, you must be Maritza Voss? My name is Janet and I'm your new Social Worker. As I can see here, I don't even want to know the environment you live in. I will walk with you inside the house, help you pack your stuff, and drive you back to Sunnydale, where you'll be staying."

She smiles, still extending her hand. Of course, she's waiting for me to shake her hand. It's not easy to deal with me, Janet. You know that right?

I shake her hand and walk back inside. She proceeds to walk behind me, noticing that no one is at home. Oh right, I forgot to tell you, after their fights, they both leave on their own for a few days and come back.

At least they don't beat me up unlike others have in the past. The joys of being in the foster care system.

* * *

Janet inspects my room as I pack up my things. She frowns when she reads my profile and looks around my room. Already gonna give up Janet? Please do.

She begins to speak,

"Maritza, as I can see here, you've been through a lot of homes. It saddens me that you've been through a lot. For that I'm sorry. Now, I'm here to help you and be your friend. In order for that to happen, you need to open up to me and explain your experiences in these different homes."

I chuckle and roll my eyes. Can this woman be more predictable? I respond back,

"Well, let's see. I don't need your pity nor have the need to open up to people like you. For that, I have Yakov, my best friend. Now if you excuse me, I would like to go back to Sunnydale and take me to where Yakov is. He will be the only person I will only open up to. But, you shouldn't apologize. Many social workers don't care about us the orphans. We fend for ourselves."

I walk out with my backpack in hand and leave Janet behind me. I walk to the front of the house and into her car and sit on one of the back seats. I throw my backpack on the floor as she then enters the car and looks back at me. She smiles and puts the folder on the passenger's seat and starts driving.

Well, at least I have to thank her for taking me away from Brooklyn. Back to New York it is. Back to Sunnydale. Thank god.

* * *

The entire ride, Janet has tried to ask questions such as what's my favorite color, etc. She wants to get to know me better, but I just keep quiet looking out the window.

We pass by Constance Billiard School for Girls and St. Jude's School for Boys. Seeing teenagers walking out with their friends chatting, talking and laughing makes me shudder. Ugh. Those uniforms are too 'nice' and tell me about being rich and privileged enough to attend to a prestigious school where your ride is a limousine with your personal driver.

They must be snobby rich assholes living the Paris Hilton life with their private jets flying out of the country wherever they want each weekend. If they lived in my life at least for a second, they'd cry mercy and give up, running back to their ordinary rich, no pain life.

But, I must admit, they are lucky bastards. I just hope they realize that. It's not that I don't like them, but then again, what am I even doing thinking about what I just saw?

My life isn't normal, wasn't normal, nor will it be normal.

I look to the front where I see Janet looking at the road, driving quietly. I cross my arms, hugging myself and sigh lowly. I look around and spot a folder next to me with my name on it. This must be the famous file containing my history with Sunnydale and the families I've crossed paths with at one point in the foster care system.

I look at Janet who is looking concentrated, driving. I grab the file with the name on it and open it.

Oh look, The Rodriguez family, my previous foster parents. Reason? I'm too violent with them. I chuckle lowly. What a stupid reason. I defended myself from that man. He was very abusive. The last time I lived with them, he sent me to the hospital with bad bruises on my face and all over the body and defended himself along with Mrs. Rodriguez, who was also being abused, saying that I had pushed the man downstairs. Truly, I was disappointed by Mrs. Rodriguez for reinforcing her husband's version and defending him. She was a true maternal figure, but she chose me over her husband.

I'd like to forget that family for sure. The image of the perfect family from the outside with their white picket fence surrounding the dream house of what a foster child would usually wish for every Christmas is a lie. A big fat lie.

I keep flipping through the file that contained my history while watching that Janet wouldn't notice.

I look at my birth certificate. It contains my full name.

Maritza Aliya Voss

My mother's name: Majida Isabel Voss

What surprised me next was the name of my father.

Nathaniel Archibald.

It can't be. The Nathaniel Archibald? Would it truly be the Nathaniel Archibald who owns the magazine "The Spectator?"

No. It truly can't be. It can't be him. He has 2 kids, a son and a daughter. His wife died in a car accident a couple years back, but I can't believe it.

How come I never knew my father's name in the first place?

* * *

I'm back at Sunnydale. It's been a very exhausting day. I'm already back at my old bed sleeping at the bottom bed of the bunk bed. I take out the copy of the birth certificate I had stolen from my file and look at it.

Nathaniel Archibald.

My biological father. I can already I guess that I'm an illegitimate child. A child from an affair most likely. I bet he knew and rejected my mother. Therefore, I'm paying the consequences of a careless act between two responsible adults. Note my sarcasm.

Should I say irresponsible adults? The undesirable child has to pay the adult's faults and mistakes. Looks like he never signed away his parental rights either. I'll just have to find him, shove the paper on his hands, make him sign it, and promise to never show myself in his life ever again.

Very good promise, cause' there'd be a scandal about this for sure.

I laugh as I see Yakov walk in and sit next to me.

He tilts his head sideways, trying to decipher what I'm laughing about.

"What are you laughing about Ritz?"

Oh yeah. I'm Ritz and he's Yak. There's a reason for those nicknames.

When we met, I was eating a Ritz cookie while Yakov was being admitted to Sunnydale due to the lack of responsibility his family showed. Let's just say his parents were a pair of drug addicts. That day it was snowing and we were both little. I offered him a Ritz cookie. I couldn't say his full name so I just called him Yak, which right away he called me Ritz, since M-A-R-I-T-Z-A has "Ritz" in my name. Oh, and it's my favorite cookie to eat to this day.

Yeah I know, boring story, but touching for me. I met my confidant and best friend that day. Since then, even if we were far away, we'd never lose touch. We would even try to live together with a foster family knowing that it will most likely not work.

I sit up and show him the copy of my birth certificate. He grabs it, reading it and looks at me at shock.

"Maritza Voss is actually and Archibald?! No way. Does anyone know?"

"Nope. No one. I have a plan now for my biological father to sign that paper. I need him to sign, agreeing that he's giving up his parental rights. Then ta-da! I'll be able to show the judge that I can take care of myself."

Yakov high-fives me and smiles.

"You go Ritz. Always with your schemes. Anyway, you've been praised as being the smart one from school since we were little. I envy that brain of yours."

Yakov snickers as I laugh. Now I just have to wait for tomorrow. I have to do this as soon as possible before my court date. I have enough money to live alone until Yakov has his emancipation granted. Then we can both work together to help each other until we both are able to survive by ourselves.

That doesn't mean that I want to be far away from Yak. We both know that we're growing up and life moves fast. We both want to have our own families one day so our children can have a normal life and not live through the hell we both had to experience.

My thoughts are thrown away when Yakov pokes my arm, pointing me to give him space on my bed so he can lay down.

That boy is weird, but he's my best friend. He's the only family I have.

* * *

 **The Next Day**

I planned this out already. I'll be skipping school and try to find this Nathaniel Archibald. I have the paper he has to sign and the birth certificate for proof. I'll bribe him to sign the paper if he doesn't want me to blurt out the secret that I'm his illegitimate daughter.

Hell, I'll cut a strand of his hair for DNA if he wants proof. Which would be most likely, but you know, if the man didn't want anything to do with me before, then he'll most likely sign the paper without any further questions.

I get up from my bed and stretch, grabbing my towel and clothes I'll be wearing to 'school.' Yak knows that I won't show up to class until later and make a lame excuse that I had my period or something and needed to run to the store or needed clothes to change.

I'm so ready for this. Confront your biological father, ask him to sign the paper, promise you'll never show up and act as if nothing happened, leave, go to court, have my emancipation granted, then I'll be free from Hell!

I already love the plan!

* * *

I'm fixing my hair and apply my make-up. I decided to put on my over sized nude sweater with black ripped skinny jeans. I combine the outfit with my white converse and look myself on the mirror.

Make-up? Check. Clothes matching? Check. Hair looks good? Check. Looking presentable enough? Hope so.

Fingers crossed!

I grab my pink backpack and walk out of the room.

I'm ready.

* * *

I can see Yakov waiting for me by the entrance of the orphanage. We're walking together then I'll be making my famous detour to The Spectator offices, where Mr. Archibald's life resides.

He doesn't live there, but you get what I'm saying right?

Yakov always loves to walk with wet hair. He loves his natural hair very much. Anyway, he knows enough that he doesn't need to apply too much gel to style his blonde hair. Plus, wearing jeans, a black shirt showing off his body, and combining it with black vans. He knows about style alright.

You could easily confuse him with a normal kid. Bad news is, we're both not normal at all.

I walk up to him smiling.

"What do you think of my outfit Yak? Does it scream normal, presentable, and responsible?"

Yakov eyes me down as I turn around, showing off my sense of style and my outfit.

He whistles and nods, giving me his approval. We both start walking towards the bus stop. We chat about everything that's happened in Sunnydale while I've been gone.

I can't lie. He's like the famous website Gossip Girl. So many rumors are surrounded by that website that they say that even though it's been shut down numerous times, somehow the website comes back to life. It's weird, but nonetheless, a very stupid rumor.

We both sit down on the bus that's taking us towards school. This is where I'll be making my detour to visit the Spectator offices. I hope to make it on time. I'm nervous, but I have to do this.

I lay my head on Yakov's shoulder while he hugs me. He faces me and looks at me with all seriousness.

"Maritza, are you sure about this? Are you ready?"

I look back at him, with determination on my mind.

"I am. Sooner or later I would have to confront the man right? Plus, I want to leave the foster care system. Can you imagine how our files look like? It looks like we have a pretty darn good career in the foster care system. Might as call us social workers!"

Yakov rolls his eyes and chuckles. The bus makes a stop. This is the stop for school, a sign for Yakov to leave.

We both stand up and wish each other a good morning and good luck. I sit down as I see him leave. I sigh as the bust starts moving. I take out my birth certificate and the paper where Nathaniel Archibald has to sign in order for my freedom to be granted. I wonder if my mother hadn't fallen for this type of guy, where would my life had ended? I would maybe have an actual normal life, but it is what it is. Things happen for a reason right?

I grab the copy where it has the directions to the offices where I'll try to see Mr. Archibald. I hope this plan works. I can't let this fail. For my sake.

* * *

It's been 30 minutes since leaving Sunnydale. The stop must be close.

I look where the bus stopped.

This is it. 32nd stop.

I get off and look at the big building that's in front of me. It's truly big. Actually it's huge. I don't even know how many stories high this building is. Might as well call it a skyscraper right?

I look on the side and see a man getting out of his limousine with his suitcase. He turns around, shaking hands with his driver, smiling. His features look similar as the man I'm looking for. His brunette hair, suit and tie. You get the idea. He's actually very handsome. I guess I understand my mom if she had an affair with him. He's actually very tall and his skin looks very healthy. In addition to that, his face doesn't look like he's aged.

"Thank you so much Mr. Daniels. You know the schedule for today."

The man shaking his hand nods, smiling yet looking serious. I can just sense the trust this man has on his driver.

This is it. It's now or never.

I walk over with my back pack and papers already on my hands. My real birth certificate, the paper which he agrees to give up his parental rights, and a copy of my birth certificate.

"Excuse me! Mr. Archibald! Hey!"

The man turns around, looking at me with a confused look.

"Are you lost? What's a young lady like yourself doing here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be in school by now?"

I nod, and look at him with a serious look.

If you could look at your own father for the first time, you'd understand the feelings that are flourishing inside me.

Anger. Sadness. Happiness. Relief. Confusion.

I'm seeing my dad face to face for the first time and I don't even know what to say.

"Young lady, what's your name? I'll call my driver and make sure you're at school at this moment. If you were looking for Blair Bass for a modeling job, you should probably come after school. She doesn't like to hire girls who don't take school seriously. She's very big on prioritizing education over a modeling job."

I shake my head. I have to say something.

"No, I'm not looking for her. I'm looking for you."

He looks at me with even more confusion, scrunching his brows, looking at me with a serious face.

"Oh, then what can I help you with?"

Breathe in. Breathe out. You can do this Maritza. I have maintained myself for 16 years. Nothing else will change. Just the fact that his signature is your ticket to freedom.

I look up at my biological father with a serious look.

"Mr. Archibald. I'm here today because I'm your biological daughter. I'm Majida Voss' child."

 **Hope everyone likes it! I hope it's not long either. Advice and opinions are open! Until Next time!**

 **-AskEliz**


	3. Chapter 2: What is Truth?

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THE GOSSIP GIRL OR GOSSIP GIRL PARTY CHARACTERS! ALL RIGHTFULLY TO THEIR OWNERS**

 _ **Summary (extended)**_ : Maritza Voss is 16 years old and is wanting to declare emancipation along with her best friend, Yakov Hamilton, from the foster care system. The last thing she needs to collect in order to confront the judge is the signature of her biological father. Her mother has been declared deceased ever since leaving Maritza at the orphanage when she was 6 months old, never being found ever since. The problem? Nathaniel Archibald, CEO and sole owner of the successful magazine, The Spectator, is Maritza's biological father. How will Nate react when he finds out about Maritza's existence and the fact that Majida never told him about her pregnancy 16 years ago? How will his children, Ronald and Alexa, react about their half-sister's existence? How will the rest of the gang react to the news? What happened between Nate and Majida 16 years ago? How did it all start? Why did Majida keep her pregnancy a secret and never told Nate? Why did she abandoned her 6 month old daughter and disappeared? How will Maritza fit with the next generation of Gossip Girl?

 **Chapter 2: What is Truth?**

 **Narrator's POV**

The young Maritza Voss is sitting down on the sofa, inside her potential father's office. She crosses her legs looking around his office. She did not expect things to turn like this. She just wanted his signature. Is that much to ask for?

Instead, he's on the phone with Janet, the social worker who's been taking care of her case, and writing something on his notebook. She just reminds herself of what just happened not even an hour ago.

* * *

 _Flashback_

" _You? Majida Voss' child? Is this some kind of joke?! Where are your parents?"_

 _She knew it was coming. She gives him her birth certificate, showing that she indeed is his daughter. His face shows of torment, sadness, and mostly anger. He then faces her._

" _This has to be some joke… It's been almost 17 years since she left New York. It has to be a mistake." He mutters lowly enough for Maritza not to hear._

 _Maritza looks down and gives him the next piece of paper. It's the paper where he gives up his parental rights. She knew it would be a scandal, but she's determined to blackmail the man in front of her if she has to. She might be tiny, but determined and fierce._

 _She faces him._

" _It's not a joke Mr. Archibald. My birth certificate says otherwise. The piece of paper I just gave you is where you sign away your rights as my biological father."_

 _Very determined in deed she was. This next response she did not expect._

" _Come with me to my office. We can discuss this more privately."_

 _He looks around cautiously as he turns his back on Maritza, as she follows him and walks inside the building into his office._

* * *

Since then, she's been sitting on this sofa, waiting for Janet to arrive to the office. She can just imagine what Janet will say once they're both alone. Anyway, this will be all worth it once she's gotten Nate Archibald's signature on that piece of paper, forfeiting his parental rights.

It's just one step close to her goal: emancipation.

A woman with a black pencil skirt and white blouse walks into the office, announcing Janet's arrival along with a man whose name is Chuck Bass.

What is the man named Chuck Bass doing here with Janet, the social worker on the case?

Nate nods as both Janet and a man with navy blue slacks and a cashmere black sweater, assuming that must be Chuck Bass, walk into the office and the lady who just walked in the office announcing their presence closes the door, walking out quietly.

Maritza stands up, looking confused as Chuck and Janet sit down.

Nate pulls Maritza's birth certificate along with the paper Maritza had given Nate earlier this morning.

Janet puts her suitcase down as she gives Maritza a stern look,

"Maritza, I suggest you stay sitting down on the sofa."

Maritza sits down on the sofa, hugging her backpack looking quietly at the interaction that was about to happen between the 3 adults.

Janet sighs as she grabs both papers, looking at Nate very apologetically.

"I'm very, very, very sorry about this. I don't know how she even got a hold of her birth certificate. This must be so inconvenient for you Mr. Archibald, but it seems that your name is actually on her certificate."

Nate nods as Chuck crosses his legs and would cautiously look at Maritza, who would look at the window outside, avoiding his gaze.

Chuck noticed how Maritza had similar features of a certain someone he used to know. He actually had a good feeling about this someone at one point that he grew very fond of her. Sadly, she just disappeared out of nowhere one day.

Till this day, no one knows about her whereabouts. Everyone just assumed she was dead. It's like she was here one day and just fell off the face of the earth the next.

He looked right back at his best friend, who seemed surprised, analyzing another paper that was next to the girl's birth certificate.

Everyone could just smell the tension.

Janet gulped when Nate's head rose, giving her direct eye contact.

"Okay, so this other paper is me signing away my rights as her father. Correct?"

Janet nods nervously. She couldn't believe that this young orphan girl was even an Archibald. At first, when she received the phone call, she thought Maritza was actually playing a prank. Honestly, she's heard about cases where teenagers have tried to falsify papers in order to attain emancipation.

She now notices that this is not the case.

Nate looks at the young girl sitting on the sofa. She hasn't looked at him ever since they've come inside the office. When he asked the girl who to contact, she just gave the number of her social worker. From there, there hasn't been a conversation or any type of contact.

It's just been pure tension.

Nate looks at the certificate again.

Majida Voss. He knew the name too well. But how could that be? Majida left him. She couldn't have been pregnant with his child when she left… right?

She does have certain features that actually remind him of her. How her natural hair just looks just like hers. Curly, but the color does come after him. Majida's hair color was pitch black, but his was not. Then there comes the face. Her skin tone. Her body. Everything. Even her direct personality reminds him about Majida.

He knew what to do.

"You both must be wondering why my friend, Chuck, is here today."

Janet nods as Maritza then looks directly at the interaction going on, nodding. She decides to stand up and walks up next to Janet.

Now it's Chuck's turn to speak.

"Well, I brought a nurse in order to do a DNA test. He texted me everything I needed to know about this situation. From there, I think we can talk more about this case. Please, don't feel offended, but precautions are precautions. We have to be very careful about a situation like this."

Both women nodded. Maritza had an idea that it had to happen. A DNA exam. This could definitely clear up any doubts either men had about the paternity.

"I will ask that the results be ready by today afternoon. If that is okay for everyone here?"

Nate and Janet nod as Maritza looks at the window again. She knows she's okay with this. She nods, looking at the situation developing at the moment.

"I know I haven't been able to say much at this meeting, but I'm just in shock. I apologize if this is coming very awkward and cold for everyone in here."

Janet smiles, looking at Nate and Chuck apologetically.

"I again apologize for this. I should have checked the files for a missing birth certificate. I was irresponsible for this. I understand if you both are upset at the situation."

Both Nate and Chuck look at each other and nod.

Nate reaffirms the appointment.

"Today afternoon. Be here. Please do me a favor and take Maritza to school. She has time to at least get to the remaining of her classes."

Janet nods as she grabs her suitcase and stands up.

Chuck leaves the office as Maritza sits down on one of the chairs, pulling up her sleeve. She looks at her birth mark on her arm. For some reason, she feels that the birth mark made her feel like she belonged to a family. To someone. Yet, life had thrown her so many tough situations that one day she lost all hope that anyone would claim her as their daughter.

While she wasn't noticing, Nate looked at the birth mark on her arm. It was the birth mark he had on his back. The same birth mark his grandfather had, but on his neck. She has to be an Archibald. She looks just like Majida, but the birth mark surely looks like his birth mark. Nate knew that his children didn't have the birth mark, but he also knew that his father didn't have the birth mark, but was an Archibald. The same situation went for his children. None of them were born with the birth mark, but it didn't mean they weren't his children.

His thoughts were tormented of Majida's face. He felt anger due to this situation. How could she abandon her daughter? Our daughter? Why couldn't she have just contacted him and given him the opportunity to be a father? He gets up as he notices the nurse coming into the office with Chuck.

When Maritza wasn't looking, he took the opportunity to text Chuck about the situation. It would be entirely rude to talk about the situation on the phone while Maritza being in the office. She would notice the doubt he had.

But all that had been erased now with just the birth mark on her arm. In addition to that, she wasn't objecting with the option of getting a paternity test for the both of them. She was too similar to her mother. It's scary enough to say that Maritza might have a mix of his attitude and Majida's. It's not bad, but he senses that she's the type who doesn't go down without a fight. She can be very calculating like he is at the moment.

"Mr. Archibald, I'm the nurse in charge of the procedure. If you would please roll your sleeve up in one of your arms, it would be great. While you do that, I'll just do my procedure with Maritza."

The nurse smiles as she walks up to Maritza. Nate unbuttons one of his sleeves and rolls it up. He then looks at the young girl whose blood is being retrieved from her arm. The nurse then takes her sample of Maritza's blood and then walks up to Nate, who is ready this time. The nurse slides the needle inside his skin, piercing his veins, retrieving the needed blood for the procedure. She then slides the needle out slowly and smiles as she puts a band aid where the needle was just a moment ago. She grabs her things and nods at Chuck as she walks out.

Chuck then nods, and gives written directions to the nurse on what she's supposed to do next. She leaves the office with Janet and Maritza trailing behind with her back pack.

The office becomes very silent as Chuck sits down on the chair looking at Nate. Chuck knows his best friend well enough. He needs to talk to him.

"Nate, are you okay?"

Nate looks at his best friend, nodding.

"I'm just angry at her. How could she abandon our daughter? Just like that?"

Chuck nods. Nate doesn't have any doubts of Maritza being his daughter?

"You do realize there's also a chance she might not be your daughter and all this is some kind of joke right?"

Nate shakes his head and stands up, walking up to the window, seeing his daughter get into a taxi with her social worker.

Nate's tone changes into a serious one.

"She has the birth mark. On her arm. No denying she's my daughter. Don't dare and tell me you didn't notice either. Her similarities to Majida. Her features. Her attitude."

Nate passes his hands through his hair, with disbelief and shock surrounding his face. His eyes wander through the room.

Through that moment, Chuck knew it was his signal to leave the office.

"I'll come by with the results this afternoon."

Nate nods as he hears the door click. How was he going to explain to his children that they have a sister? To the gang?

All he could do was sit down on his chair, get to work, and wait on those DNA results.

* * *

It's been approximately 4 hours since leaving the office. Maritza hasn't been able to concentrate on her Pre-Calculus class. Usually, she would compute her math clearly on her mind.

But not today.

Her mind has been wandering on what happened this morning between her biological father and her social worker.

"Ms. Voss, are you with us today?"

Maritza shakes off her mind and smiles, nodding. She begins to write what's on the board on her notebook while her teacher, Ms. Jacobs, sighs and goes back to explaining today's lecture.

Maritza's mind starts to wander back into the situation she's in at the moment. What happens if those results come back negative? What would happen if Mr. Archibald isn't her father? Are there any other Nathaniel Archibald's around the world?

"Maritza, since you're paying special attention to my lecture, would you care to give a summary of what I was just saying about inverse functions?"

Maritza sighs and groans as the bell rings.

Ms. Jacobs smiles, chuckling to herself.

"Saved by the bell. I expect you pay more attention Maritza."

Maritza nods as she walks out of the classroom with her notebook on her arm while holding her backpack on the other.

She walks by her locker, unlocking it and opening it as she begins to retrieve her books for her next class. Just as she was about to close her locker, Yakov passes by and leans against the wall.

"So you made it back in school. Welcome. How was the meeting with your potential biological father?"

Maritza rolls her eyes as she closes her locker. This was asshole Yakov she was talking to. Not the sweet one from this morning. She knew very well how Yakov can change attitudes when things are not well or don't go his way. He tends to have an attitude when he's having a bad day too.

"It was interesting. We didn't say much, but you know."

Yakov chuckles. He had to know.

"So, there was a DNA test huh?"

Maritza stays silent as her best friend sighs shaking his head and chuckling. She starts walking to her next class. English. How dreadful enough. Her thoughts were disturbed by Yakov's idea of skipping the rest of the day.

"Nah. I'm actually trying to have good grades. You know. I want to emancipate and show that I'm capable of also doing well in school."

The boy laughs as he shrugs. He looks at the time. Still enough to make it to the exit with the guys and getting a little bit out of Maritza.

"Are you going to tell me what actually happened Ritz?"

"Yeah, tonight after dinner. I have to see him at his office with Janet."

Yakov smiles, giving her a hug of encouragement and walks away to towards the exit of the school with a group of guys who will be skipping school for the rest of the day.

Maritza knew if he kept hanging out with the group of guys, soon enough, he might be in trouble. She worries for him, but at the same time, she worries on what would happen this afternoon. It daunts her that she might be in trouble if the results came out to be that he's not her father.

* * *

Chuck walks in to Nate's office with a white envelope on his hand. Nate closes the door.

"Open it. Please. I really can't look."

Chuck nods as he opens the envelope, taking the paper out.

He couldn't believe his eyes. Chuck looks at his best friend then back at the paper.

99.9% his daughter. Maritza Voss IS Nate Archibald's daughter. Why would Majida abandon Maritza if she knew Nate was the father? Why couldn't she resort to Nate and talk about the pregnancy? How will Nate deal with this? Of course, he would help his best friend if he was asked to.

"Chuck. The results. Please. You're killing me here."

Chuck's thought process were disturbed by a Nate's worrisome voice and a knock on the door.

They were here.

He wasn't worried about Nate, but about Maritza. How will she react with the news that she has a rich father who could have given her everything in this life?

Chuck had a feeling that she wanted an emancipation. From what he could gather from this morning's conversation, she had also given him a paper regarding parental rights.

"Chuck. Just give me the paper. I'll read the results myself."

Nate hissed lowly enough as Maritza and her social worker walked in to the office. He looked at the girl then looked back at Nate. She truly does have a mix of her mother and father. Her innocent yet scheming eyes wandering all over the office.

So innocent, yet so young and full of fear and worry. What makes Chuck wonder is the way her body language speaks of her. Very opposite of what her eyes speak about.

Bravery against Fear.

Chuck clears his throat as he gives the results to Nate. Nate's eyes wander to the young girl standing next to her social worker.

"The results state that you're in fact my daughter."

Maritza nods, looking down.

She knew it. She had a feeling. She looks away. He'll most likely want her away and for this to be a secret. This would be the best time to shine. Her plan has to be in motion now.

Its a now or never situation.

Chuck notices little engines running through Maritza's mind.

No doubt she's Nate's daughter.

Like father. Like daughter.

What will you propose to us Maritza **_Archibald_**?

* * *

 **I apologize for the long wait for the chapter. I've been busy with exams and work. Personal stuff. Anyway, I hope you like the story! I am very sorry if this chapter or the story is walking too slow. I promise I'll try to speed it up.**

 **As always, opinions, advice, and suggestions are encouraged for the story to be better.**

 **Until Next time**

 **-AskEliz**


	4. Chapter 3: Uninvited Guest

**As a reminder:**

 **Ms. Jacobs is on the Occasional (guest) appearances list. She will be added on later on to the summary list. She's Maritza's Pre-Cal teacher in her school. **

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THE GOSSIP GIRL OR GOSSIP GIRL PARTY CHARACTERS! ALL RIGHTFULLY TO THEIR OWNERS**

 _ **Summary (extended)**_ : Maritza Voss is 16 years old and is wanting to declare emancipation along with her best friend, Yakov Hamilton, from the foster care system. The last thing she needs to collect in order to confront the judge is the signature of her biological father. Her mother has been declared deceased ever since leaving Maritza at the orphanage when she was 6 months old, never being found ever since. The problem? Nathaniel Archibald, CEO and sole owner of the successful magazine, The Spectator, is Maritza's biological father. How will Nate react when he finds out about Maritza's existence and the fact that Majida never told him about her pregnancy 16 years ago? How will his children, Ronald and Alexa, react about their half-sister's existence? How will the rest of the gang react to the news? What happened between Nate and Majida 16 years ago? How did it all start? Why did Majida keep her pregnancy a secret and never told Nate? Why did she abandoned her 6 month old daughter and disappeared? How will Maritza fit with the next generation of Gossip Girl?

 **Chapter 3: Uninvited Guest**

 **NARRATOR'S POV**

The sun was up and high with its all mighty, sending waves of warmth and pure bliss to everyone.

Ronald Archibald is walking out of St. Jude's preparing to meet his father today at his office. He stands outside waiting for the limo to arrive as his best friends, Henry and Leon, stand next to him, also waiting for their rides that will be taking them to their destinations.

On a typical day, the 3 men would try to ride together in one of their limos or decide to walk back together to either one's place to hang out for a while and sometimes stay over for the night.

All of their families have known each other since they can remember. Especially Ronald and Henry, who were raised together in the same environment.

Henry leans back against the gate and sighs.

"Can you believe the amount of homework these teachers leave us? They don't even have the decency to give us a break."

Leon chuckles, answering,

"Well, if you would stop slacking off and trying to swarm girls your way, maybe you wouldn't have so much homework, since you know, all the homework you have is the work WE'RE supposed to be doing in class."

Ronald laughs as Henry punches Leon's arm playfully, earning a grin from Leon.

Both Ronald and Henry feel relieved seeing a grin from Leon. Truth of the matter is, Leon hasn't been himself ever since the breakup with Stacy Lee, the girl Leon dated for 2 years. Ronald and Henry weren't particularly fans of the relationship since it was the on and off type, but they never got in the relationship and were there for him when he needed them. They would give their opinion, but ultimately left it to Leon when it came to Stacy and the decisions he had to make regarding the continuation of the relationship. The last straw came when Stacy cheated on Leon with the school's quarter back, Jason Fields. Leon had caught them red handed at the library one day, where Gossip Girl had also reported to the whole school about the cheating, resulting into a one big scandal all over both Constance and St. Jude's. Leon was quite upset and decided to call it quits with Stacy, not caring about her explanation and the blame she wanted to throw him for not taking care of her in the duration of their relationship.

Ronald called it 'bullshit' while Henry called it 'guilt trip' when hearing about Stacy's stance on the whole situation. Nonetheless, everyone was on Leon's side, while shaming Stacy and Jason, to the point of shunning them for a while.

Things are back to normal for both of them, but the Leon and Stacy relationship was never the same, to the point of Leon blocking and ignoring Stacy. Gossip Girl even applauded him for the gesture of the shout out given to her on his Facebook post.

Everyone wasn't surprised that the post made it to the official page of Gossip Girl.

Ronald chuckled as he remembered the time Gossip Girl for once appreciated the shout out. He turned to his best friends, smiling.

"So Leon, Henry, how about meeting up tonight for some video games?"

Henry perked up while Leon smiled nodding.

Ronald was about to say something when he noticed Marc, Izaac, Alex, and Kyle also walking out of the building and heading into Izaac's limo. All 4 men were talking and laughing as girls started to swarm over their paths sighing and giggling dreamily as they were walking over to Izaac's limo. Ronald chuckled, shaking his head.

They're good guys, but damn do they have 'TROUBLE' written all over their bodies. He's met Leon's younger brother, Kyle and has even hung out with the other 3 guys a few times, but he's not truly as close with them as with Leon and Henry. This is all due that Ronald isn't a party animal. He loves parties, but going to a lot of them every weekend, getting wasted to fooling around at times with girls?

Nah. Plus, all 3 men needed to avoid Gossip Girl if they wanted to have a chance into getting into Ivy League colleges. Ronald and Henry knew better since they were born into the spotlight. Leon wasn't, but he was adopted when he was about 5 years old, which not too much long after, he met Ronald and Henry, becoming the best friends they are today.

"Henry, Leon, do you guys get worried about them when appearing every time on Gossip Girl?"

Henry chuckles, patting Ronald's back as Leon shrugs, looking at the other group laughing and flirting with girls.

Henry then answers,

"It's their life. Plus, if you're asking me, I love hanging out with them at the parties as much as you do, but they do take it up a notch for partying so much every single weekend. I wonder if they ever get exhausted."

Leon laughs, shaking his head, responding,

"Marc loves to party. He's a very big fan of women in general. I mean, he flirts with every woman who gets near to him. None of them care about Gossip Girl. They think about living life to the fullest potential. Just be thankful for not having a sister at the same grade level as them."

Henry and Ronald laugh at Leon's serious response as Leon notices from the corner of his eye that Lily and Jenny are walking over to their limo.

He pays special attention to Jenny Collins, Lily Humphrey's cousin. Leon can't imagine losing his parents the way Jenny did. Dying in a car crash must have been hard. At the age of 3, Jenny was parentless, but with the help of Lily's parents, they were able to easily adopt her to their family. It worked to their advantage that Jenny's mother was related to Lily's father. It was also a plus that they were rich, just like his family.

Leon sighs, turning his mind back on to the conversation.

Ronald analyzed Leon, knowing that his best friend was totally smitten with little Jenny Collins.

"Why not try to talk to her?"

Leon looked at Ronald weirdly and rolled his eyes.

"Ronald, you're an idiot."

Henry laughs loudly as Lily walks over hugging him from behind. Henry smiles as he turns around, kissing her.

Ronald and Leon rolled their eyes at the show of affection Henry and Lily were showing.

Ronald smiles as he gave little Lily Humphrey a hug. He never saw her more than a little sister who he would always protect. As for Henry, things progressed since the trip to Italy both families took together. Henry remembered how Ronald and his family couldn't make it, but got excited when Lily would be able to make with Jenny and her family. Things furthered more when they felt butterflies by just seeing each other every day in Italy. Feelings developed to the point that Lily's father had to sit them both down, lecturing them about dating and sex. Poor Lily couldn't take a break when it came to the sex parts by blushing every time her father would talk about it. They've been dating for 6 months, but for them, it's been the best 6 months of their relationship. Sure, they had their occasional fights, but it wasn't as bad as Leon and Stacy's relationship. They're the IT couple of today's Constance/St. Jude's halls.

Ronald chuckled as he heard the beep from his limo. He waved everyone goodbye and promised to discuss more about their possible get together with Leon and Henry for tonight. He knew they had separate plans at the moment, but wouldn't be free until later tonight. His chauffeur walks out of the limo and opens the door as Ronald slides inside, noticing his little sister, Alexa laying down on the seat. He smiled at the view he was seeing. He scoots over, trying not to wake her up as the limo starts to move.

* * *

Maritza is sitting down with her legs crossed looking not too pleased at the scenario developing in front of her at the moment.

She thought she had hit the jackpot. Archibald would sign the paper stating that he would give up his parental rights voluntarily. She would show up to the judge and prove her point. Judge accepts and grants her emancipation. She helps Yakov with his emancipation case. He is also granted emancipation from the judge. Both live together with the money saved up. Tada! Free from the foster care system at last!

But nope. How can this happen? How could Chuck Bass just laugh at the blackmail she TRIED to make to her biological father AND to top it off, a lawyer is here already processing the adoption process!

Maritza scoffed as she leaned against the cushion of the sofa she was sitting on.

Chuck chuckled at the guts the girl had. As if he or Nate would be afraid of a blackmail from this girl. Her face may seem scary when looking very pissed off, but he's dealt with worse. All that brought Blair's face when she would be angry. He chuckled shaking his head. He knew both have dealt with a very angry Blair. She can be very scary looking to the point when she smiles too much, not caring about something she usually cares, all hell is about to break loose.

While Chuck's mind is wandering over his loving wife, Nate is trying discuss the custody he would have over Maritza. He wanted the process to be finalized as soon as possible. He at first wanted to grant her emancipation, but after the blackmail she tried, to which Chuck couldn't keep his mouth shut, making Maritza pissed off, Nate decided to adopt her and legally change her last name to Archibald. He knew she didn't qualify for emancipation anyway and sooner or later, she would be under his care.

Nate chuckled at the situation prior to the lawyer and the process of adoption. She was just too cute with the blackmail. Weirdly enough, it made him proud.

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _Maritza looks up at both Nate and Chuck, smiling innocently and batting her eye lashes._

" _Nate, I think that it would be best if you sign that sheet of paper and I, Maritza, wouldn't say anything about my connection to you. I know this can be a very big and hurtful scandal to your future and magazine. If you don't, then you don't give me a choice but to try and talk about how Nathaniel Archibald is my biological father, without you denying it, since you know, there's proof and all."_

 _Chuck was trying hard enough to repress a laugh, but failed and started to double over with laughter. Nate was chuckling and smiling. Poor girl, he didn't want to discourage her or burst her bubble on her emancipation, but she didn't have enough resources to handle herself in the real world. She wasn't even working for fucks sake and she was having her grand scheme for her emancipation dream? Too bad Nate would have to, gladly, pop her into the reality, that is, while trying not to laugh over her mini speech._

 _He looks at her very serious, knowing his answer._

" _Go ahead. You make it much simpler. It would have worked, if I was 16 and naïve enough to be scared. The only thing you're doing is speeding up my process of being a father to you. You see, I'm the sole owner and CEO of one of the most recognized magazines from the world. I'd use that platform to explain the situation very thoroughly and deeply. Step by step. You think I was born yesterday?"_

 _Chuck had regained his composure as he clapped, but couldn't help but to laugh again._

" _Say Maritza, I do believe you're his daughter. The guts you have to try and blackmail your own father. God, if Blair was here, she would have clapped of happiness and made a show of this to the point of laughing very hard, making her pee. Thank you for giving me a good laugh."_

 _Maritza was beyond pissed. Who were they to be laughing about the matter? Were they not even taking her seriously? Her brows furrowed together as she looked at the window beyond pissed. What she heard next from her social worker, she couldn't believe._

" _Maritza, I am sorry to disappoint you, but the judge wouldn't have favored in your favor. One, you don't have a job. Two, you don't have a place to live where it's fully furnished. Three, your father is rich so your case would have been dismissed immediately. Four, they'd give him an opportunity on being a father to you. Lastly, you have a biological father WILLING to take care of you. Sooner or later, you would have to realize that being emancipated was far away from your reach. I am truly sorry. It's better for Mr. Archibald to proceed with the requested adoption of his own daughter. It's up to him if he wants to make it temporary or permanent until you've turned 18. What I advise though is for Maritza to have a gradual transition from Sunnydale to your home Mr. Archibald."_

 _Nate nodded as the lawyer walked into the office, shaking hands with Chuck, Nate, and Janet._

 _Maritza glares at Janet as she smiles, forgetting to add one piece to her puzzling speech._

" _By the way Maritza, your previous social worker never scheduled an appointment with the court nor presented the case to any lawyer as you requested. You see, I took your case knowing what you wanted. You wanted to be free from a system that hasn't been generous to you. You will be free, just not the way you thought it would be. I would suggest for you to see things in a much lighter and clearer context. I will be like a hawk over your new home and family. I promise."_

 _Maritza crossed her arms still looking away and not meeting anyone's sight._

 _Nate knew what he had to do as Maritza's father._

" _Please proceed with the adoption. It won't be temporary. It will be permanent. I, as her father, will take responsibility of her. Also, I would like to change her last name to Archibald. You can leave Voss, but I want her last name to be officially changed to Archibald."_

 _The lawyer nods, bringing out paper work needed to be filled out in order to start the adoption process._

* * *

Nate chuckles while looking at Maritza as he remembers what happened earlier. There's a knock at the door. The secretary comes in, announcing that his son and daughter are waiting for him. Nate sighs as he finishes signing the last papers of the process.

This is going to be a very long day.

* * *

Ronald and Alexa are waiting outside his father's office. For Ronald, it's pretty weird how busy his father is right now. Usually, they would walk into the office without waiting in the waiting area and be greeted with a hug and small talk. From there, they would leave the office together to eat dinner together and spend the rest of the day together having fun.

Not today. He notices how the secretary smiles at them, asking to be patient. She asks if they wanted something to drink or a snack. Both kids politely shake their heads.

What is going on inside the office?

He notices that the door open and looks at Chuck and a lawyer walking out of the room along with a social worker. Ronald's eyes widen as Chuck leads them out to the elevator, shaking their hands.

Ronald notices the door has been widely open and a young girl is sitting inside the office. Ronald couldn't any longer and walked inside the office, ignoring the secretary's protests.

He notices a young girl sitting down on the sofa he and his sister would usually fill, but not today.

"Dad, what's going on?"

Nate looks at his son and at his newfound daughter. He looks at the secretary, who had her head bowed down, showing guilt for her neglect on closing the door.

"Lucy, please call Chuck over to my office and take Alexa to Blair's studio. I believe Dorota is there today taking care of Daisy. If you could please also ask for her presence in my office."

The secretary whose name Ronald nor Maritza never heard of, walks out of the office, closing the door behind them.

* * *

Chuck is sitting down and talking with little Alexa about her day at school. He knew very well that Ronald had walked into the office. It wasn't his intention, but it couldn't have been avoided. You either look bad with the lawyer and the social worker who are working on Maritza's case or try and distract the inevitable by extending it. He notices the secretary, Lucy, walking over and standing in front of them.

"Mr. Bass, your presence has been requested from Mr. Archibald. I will be taking Alexa to Mrs. Bass' studio where he believes Dorota can take care of Alexa. He's also requesting your wife's presence at the office."

Chuck nods as he gives Alexa a kiss on her cheek, giving her a nudge for her to leave with the secretary. He looks at the secretary and Alexa leave hand in hand and giving her some mini conversation about her favorite flavor of ice cream. Chuck stands up from the sofa, not leaving his eye sight from the secretary and Alexa, who entered the elevator. He waits until the elevator doors close. He sighs as he bring his phone out. It's time to call Dan and Serena. Ronald would believe the story more if it came from Dan than from any of us.

He pulls up Dan's phone number and presses 'call' on his phone. The phone rings and Dan answers the phone.

"Hey Chuck, what's up?"

"Is Serena with you at the moment?"

"Uh yeah, we're heading home to meet up with Lily, Jenny, and Alana for dinner later this evening, why?"

"Well Humphrey, would you mind postponing the dinner? It's an emergency."

"Emergency? Is Blair okay?"

"It's not Blair, its Nate."

"Is he fine? A car accident? Be more specific please Chuck. Serena is getting a little antsy and worried."

"Well, you both have to drive up to the office. Let's just say that Nate has an uninvited guest at his office at this moment. I'll tell you both everything once you both arrive at the office."

"Alright, we'll both head over there. I'll phone Jenny or Lily to babysit Alana for a little bit longer."

"I have an idea. If you're up for it."

"Shoot."

"Well, I don't know how long this meeting will take, but how about I send Dorota with Alexa and Daisy to your house, Henry was already heading to the house to meet up with Lily anyway. We can all have dinner tonight together as a family."

"You really know how to set a plan right away don't you?"

"I'm doing this so none of the kids aren't alone."

"So what about Ronald?"

"Let's just say this situation involves the uninvited guest, Ronald, and Nate. You'll both understand once you see the situation with your own eyes."

"Well, alright. We'll meet you at Nate's office in 15. We weren't far away from the office."

"Perfect. Tell Serena I said hi and not to worry."

"Alright. Will do. See ya in 15."

Chuck hangs up. He chuckles remembering how his friendship with Dan had developed as the years went by. Sometimes, He, Nate, and Dan would meet up for drinks and talk about life in general. They would laugh and remanence about the past. Like the time he and Dan got arrested.

Good times.

Only this past wasn't a laughing matter. It was a matter where a teenager who had no fault appeared.

He felt bad for the girl, but they do say that sometimes our actions can affect others right?

Before entering the office, he sends his lovely wife a quick text message, asking to send Dorota to Dan and Serena's apartment, without leaving the 'I love you' out of the message.

He smiles, remembering how difficult it used to be to say I love you to Blair. Now, he doesn't leave her side or a phone call with her, not even a message without leaving an 'I love you.'

Chuck walks opening the door to Nate's office, noticing the scene at hand and closing it.

* * *

Lucy, the secretary arrives at Blair's studio. It's in the same building as the Spectator's offices. Nate might be the sole owner and CEO, but Blair makes occasional appearances in the magazine with her fashion critiques and suggestions. Along with that, it's given her the platform to promote her clothing line, E&J. E stands for Eleanor Waldorf and J stands for Jenny Humphrey- Collins. Before the accident in which Jenny and her husband, Joshua, died in, Jenny was working alongside Blair and Eleanor with the fashion ideas and creations.

Shortly after Jenny's death, her mother passed away, following Cyrus' passing a year after.

Poor Blair Bass. Yet her passion for fashion and clothes pushed her even harder, bringing the brand through the roof and being recognized internationally. She misses her mother dearly, but she knew they would be proud of what she's made the brand recognized for. They've even made the New York and Paris Fashion Week shows, bringing in positive critiques about the brand.

Blair looks at the mannequin, trying to see if the length of the skirt was right.

Lucy knocks on the glass, smiling and waving shyly.

Blair turns around and smiles at the view of little Alexa.

"Alexa! Such a surprise, what brings you here today? Did little Alexa want to model one of my designs or have a fun play photo shoot while daddy is up there doing work?"

The secretary shakes her head.

"Mrs. Bass, your presence is being requested at Mr. Archibald's office. There is a matter that Mr. Bass and Mr. Archibald are dealing at this moment and have also asked if you wouldn't mind for Alexa to stay with Dorota and Daisy."

She smiles as Blair looks at her confused and surprised. What has Chuck been doing at Nate's office today?

"May I ask what's going on?"

"I'm afraid you'll find out yourself once entering Mr. Archibald's office."

"Huh, what kind of trouble are the guys in?"

The secretary smiles and sighs. Blair notices Dorota and Daisy eating a cone of chocolate ice cream. Blair smiles at the sight of her daughter and Dorota eating chocolate ice cream. She knew that her mother didn't spend as much time together as she wished, but Blair wouldn't make that mistake. She would involve her daughter in the fashion world and teach her about clothing lines. In addition to that, Chuck would pass by from his business at the New York Palace Hotel or the Empire Hotel to greet her with a lunch date or pick her up for a spur in the moment romantic dinner or have a family dinner together.

Life was perfect for Blair Bass.

Blair sighs as she asks Dorota to take care of Alexa as she would be need to tend business with Chuck and Nate. As she was about to leave, Chuck's message flicks on her phone. She smiles as she reads that the plans have changed, to send Dorota to Dan and Serena's apartment with Daisy and Alexa. They'll be meeting up with them later tonight.

The last sentence of the message gives Blair butterflies, giving her a warm, bright smile.

She turns around, still clutching her phone, facing Dorota.

"Dorota, would you please leave with the girls and give directions to the chauffeur to drive you up to Dan and Serena's? We'll meet up with everyone later on."

"Of course Miss Blair. We'll be passing by the store to buy a tub of cookies n' cream ice cream for the girls."

Blair laughs nodding.

"Oh Dorota, you love using the girls as an excuse for your love of eating."

Dorota laughs, grabbing Alexa's hand and explaining Daisy that they'll most likely meet up with Alana to have a fun dinner party tonight and have to leave at this instant.

Blair kisses both Alexa's cheek and Daisy's forehead goodbye, promising to meet them later tonight.

Blair looks around to see if her helpers wouldn't mind closing for the day. She spots one of them, asking to close the office when they were done arranging the dresses. She then notices the secretary still standing there.

"Lucy, correct?"

The secretary nods.

"Please take care of my studio and would you mind helping close for the day?"

"Of course I won't mind. I was thinking of checking up the studio if it was closed or if help was needed."

Blair smiles nodding.

She leaves her office, wondering what was happening at Nate's office.

What was truly going on, she wasn't sure. But she was about to find out.

* * *

"Uh huh. Dorota will be arriving with Alexa and Daisy shortly."

Serena was talking to her daughter, Lily, over the phone. She was explaining the change of plans to her daughter.

"Yes, of course sweet heart. Our plans to go shopping in the weekend won't suffer as the ones right now."

Serena smiles as Dan chuckles shaking his head. Of course Lily inherited Serena's liking of shopping. As for Jenny, she would also shop, but was more into making her own clothes. Jenny would occasionally shop with Serena and Lily, but most of the time would spend sketching designs.

Dan remembers how Jenny's eyes widened with the gift of a sketching book and some pencils where she could draw whenever a design popped out of her imagination.

It reminded him about his sister. She would be very proud of what her daughter is becoming and the way he and his wife have brought her daughter up to this point.

"Alright sweetie, take care and don't do anything that can get you in trouble. Love you."

Serena hangs up as Dan holds her hand. Chuck's phone call and plans were out of the blue, but what he was worried was the type of situation they might encounter once arriving to Nate's office.

Serena looks at her husband as she gives his hand a squeeze of reassurance. She knew those two since they were kids. Any trouble up to this point they can handle. They've been through so much that she knows whatever is going on, they will handle. She lays her head on Dan's shoulder as he hugs her and holds her for a while.

Serena doesn't face her husband as she makes the question.

"Who do you think the uninvited guest might be?"

"Honestly? It could be Georgina. Or Nate's former flame. Majida."

Serena furrows her brows together. She still remembers how hurt Nate was when finding out Majida had left his side without a trace or a note. She didn't even say goodbye.

"If it was Georgina, how could that connect with Ronald? Plus, she would be welcome by anyone. Blair and Georgina buried their feuds years ago and are great friends. Now, Majida, I would love to shove a few words up through her throat. How could she just show up when he already has a family consolidated? She has no reason to be in New York."

Dan nods as he kisses her head. Dan was the one who introduced Nate to Majida. He even felt guilty for some time just because of it. It was Serena's job to convince Dan that the whole situation wasn't his fault. It even helped him inspire to write a book about wrongful breakups, affairs, and the secrets surrounded. Of course, it was fictional and became best seller in the country.

"Let's just hope for the best shall we?"

Serena nods. Both talk about their day's work. Nate owns a publishing company where his aim is to give struggling writers a chance to publish their creations. In addition, he would try to make time to mentor some while trying not to cut his family time. Serena would try to alternate between her fashion brand and the modeling academy she and Blair opened recently. It's been raved with positive reviews like her best friend's brand.

Serena felt happiness for the fact that her life has been perfect. Sure, there have been a lot of ups and downs, but she would change anything for what she was experiencing now. A loving husband, beautiful girls, and a successful career. Don't get her started with the fact that Rufus and her mother, Lily, had rekindled their romance after her wedding with Dan. She smiles at how happy her mother looked. They're traveling around the world, not wasting time showing their love for each other. It was awkward at first, but she had to understand how unhappy her mother was in each marriage. Sure, if they had ended up together in the first place, Dan nor she would exist, but they would have had more time at being happy.

"We're at the Spectator offices."

Dan thanks the chauffeur as both walk out of the limo into the building hand in hand. Dan explains to the secretary that they have an appointment with Nate. She nods, granting them access to the elevator. Both enter the elevator comfortably, pressing the floor number they're supposed to be going to.

"You know Serena, if there's still time, we could just leave the kids with Blair and Chuck or Nate, and go to a nearby hotel. I love having those out of the spur meetings with you."

Dan chuckles, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively as he kisses his wife's hand.

Serena blushes, hitting his arm playfully with her purse.

"I'll think about it Mr. Humphrey. Trying to lighten the mood?"

Dan laughs, kissing Serena's cheek. At the right time, the doors to the elevator open, noticing that Blair was already opening the door to Nate's office. Both walk to Nate's office as Dan reaches for the door before closing it, surprising Blair.

They walk in to a surprised Blair, a smug Chuck, a frustrated Nate, a very pissed off Ronald, and a very pissed off young girl.

Dan's face turns pale as he notices the girl. He couldn't believe it. It just can't be. Could it be Majida's daughter?

Can the uninvited guest Chuck mentioned be Majida's daughter? But what is she doing here? How did she get here?

Dan had no clue, but what he knew was that he was about to find answers to his question.

* * *

 **How fast was I with chapter 3? it's a bit longer than the first 2 chapters, but it's what i wanted in the first place.**

 **Also, I have noticed I made grammatical errors on the first chapter, to which I will fix immediately when I have time. As for now, chapter 4 will be on the way. I hope to have it ready to upload by the end of the week.**

 **As always, opinions, suggestions, and ideas for the story to be better are open to everyone in the comments. I hope everyone likes the story very well and leave comments!**

 **-AskEliz**


	5. Chapter 4: Change in One's Life

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THE GOSSIP GIRL OR GOSSIP GIRL PARTY CHARACTERS! ALL RIGHTFULLY TO THEIR OWNERS**

 **Author's Note: I have updated the last 3 chapters. The only changes I made are grammatical or spelling mistakes. I apologize for any inconvenience. I will try my best to not make the mistakes. Enjoy the story.**

 _ **Summary (extended):**_ Maritza Voss is 16 years old and is wanting to declare emancipation along with her best friend, Yakov Hamilton, from the foster care system. The last thing she needs to collect in order to confront the judge is the signature of her biological father. Her mother has been declared deceased ever since leaving Maritza at the orphanage when she was 6 months old, never being found ever since. The problem? Nathaniel Archibald, CEO and sole owner of the successful magazine, The Spectator, is Maritza's biological father. How will Nate react when he finds out about Maritza's existence and the fact that Majida never told him about her pregnancy 16 years ago? How will his children, Ronald and Alexa, react about their half-sister's existence? How will the rest of the gang react to the news? What happened between Nate and Majida 16 years ago? How did it all start? Why did Majida keep her pregnancy a secret and never told Nate? Why did she abandoned her 6 month old daughter and disappeared? How will Maritza fit with the next generation of Gossip Girl?

 **Chapter 4: Change in One's Life**

 **NARRATOR'S POV**

Life has a hot mess for Maritza. It's been a crazy montage for her the past month. From finding out that the notorious Nathaniel Archibald was her father to processing the fact that she would be adopted into the family. She would also bear the last name "Archibald," but ultimately it would be up to her choice if she wanted to stay with her original last name "Voss."

She has spoken with Yakov, but he's become more distant since telling him the outcome of her meeting.

" _So, did you get the signature?"_

" _No... He wants to officially adopt me and take care of me."_

 _Yakov sighs lowly, trying not to reveal his disappointment and sadness. He wanted to be happy for Maritza, but he couldn't bear the fact that she was finally being adopted by a family and leaving him behind._

" _So, you'll leave me behind." Yakov stops walking and looks at Maritza._

 _Maritza shakes her head promptly, as she grabs his shoulders._

" _I wouldn't leave you behind. I will still go to the same school as you. I promise – "Yakov couldn't take it any longer. He cut her off immediately._

" _Maritza. Don't make promises. Besides, we'll see each other at school and continue to hang out, right?"_

 _Maritza nods, smiling weakly and hugs him tightly._

" _You and I against the world. Never forget that."_

 _Yakov hugs her back and closes his eyes._

Maritza sighs as she remembers the last conversation. He's been hanging out with the wrong crowd, skips classes a lot more frequently than usual, and has been distant and less talkative with her.

She grabs her bag from her bed and leaves for work.

* * *

Izaac and Marc are walking to Central Park to meet up with Alex and Kyle.

"Thank god its Saturday. Ugh. Such a hassle going to school. What's the use anyway?"

Izaac clicks his tongue as Marc laughs at his best friend's remark. Being rich in New York is like being royalty and everybody knows it.

"I know what you mean, but we would be dead bored if it wasn't for school and meeting the ladies, if you know what I mean."

Izaac rolls his eyes as Marc winks knowing the reaction Izaac would have with the comment.

"You always have to mention girls to every comment you make. Can we try, oh I don't know, not to mention girls to every comment you make?"

Marc chuckles.

"This is my nature man. You know I can't resist the ladies, nor can they resist us. Do you not see the way they stare us down? It's like we are gods!"

Izaac clicks his tongue and gives a disgusted look at Marc.

"No, they stare us down as if taking our clothes off. It's fucking annoying. Izaac this. Izaac that. But, I do give you a point. Accessible to mess around with."

Both chuckle and Marc looks up at the sky.

"I can say that being with my best friends makes my life less miserable and boring."

Mark faces Izaac as Izaac looks at his best friend, nodding in agreement. Both walk in silence until a girl bumps into Izaac and her stuff from her bag falls to the floor.

"Watch where you're going, will you?"

Looking apologetic, the girl apologizes and crouches down to pick up her stuff. Izaac ignores her and keeps walking, but Marc stops, crouches down, and helps the girl.

Marc notices her headphones and her nametag that he assumes she uses for work.

"Maritza"

Maritza looks up apologetically as Marc mentions her name and gives her the nametag.

Both stand up as she smiles.

"Thank you. I'm truly sorry for what happened with your friend."

Marc smiles.

"S'okay! He's always a sadist and a bit moody. By the way, I'm Marc!"

Marc stretches his hand as Maritza grabs it and shakes his hand.

"Thank you, Marc. I'm Maritza."

Both are interrupted by Izaac's loud voice.

"MARC! HURRY UP! I'M IMPATIENT HERE!"

Marc looks at Izaac as Maritza starts walking the opposite way without any notice. She doesn't have time to make a conversation. She has work to attend.

Marc sighs as he notices that Maritza has left. By the time he turns around, she is nowhere to be found.

Marc dejectedly walks towards Izaac, glaring at him and looking gloomy.

"What's with that look?"

Marc rolls his eyes.

"I know what you did there. But she is cute. I like girls that have her hair. She looks so innocent! Gah! I can't forget about her that easily now man!"

Izaac rolls his eyes and shakes his head. He sighs and looks straight.

"You say the same thing about every girl you have contact with. Must I remind you that's what you said about Callie, Kimberly, and Irma last time? Look what that led you to. Dating three girls at the same time. What shall I do with you?"

Marc laughs nervously and scratches his head as Izaac punches Marc's arm playfully and laughs at his reaction.

"Oh look! Alex and Kyle!"

Izaac squints his eyes and notices Kyle waving and Alex looking bored and somewhat annoyed. He chuckles as he walks behind Marc waving excitedly.

* * *

Maritza walks into the café and greets Joe, her boss

"Hey Joe! I'm here."

Joe smiles.

"Long time no see Voss. You're on register and taking orders for today. By the way, 10 minutes early to work. New record!"

Maritza laughs as she walks into the back of the register counter and hangs up her bag. She grabs her apron and puts it on.

As she gets ready to work behind the counter, Ronald walks into the café. He smiles politely as he greets his sister in the cash register.

"Hey"

Maritza smiles as she looks at Ronald.

Their relationship has been building up slowly and they have been talking and texting more frequently as the days passed. They have dinner as a family a couple times a week and hang out since Maritza only works the weekends. Today would be different though. Maritza doesn't know that Ronald has talked to her boss for her to be off from work for today so they could both attend and meet up with their father at Alexa's dance recital. Before, he wanted to hang out with her alone without their father to progress in their relationship.

"What brings you here Ronald?"

"Well, I wanted to ask if you could leave work for today and hang out to get to know each other better. I mean, since we'll be living together soon after the adoption is complete and… I want you to get to know me better. Build up the trust."

Maritza nods in understanding, but she can't leave work at the moment.

"Ronald, I would love to, but I'm at work."

Joe looks from the kitchen and speaks.

"That's not a problem. He's already spoken to me about it. Take the day off. Have fun with your brother Maritza. You deserve it."

Maritza looks at her boss and tilts her head to the side, looking unsure if she should take the day off.

"Go on child. We have enough workers as it is. Have fun today!"

Joe smiles as Maritza nods. She turns to Ronald and nods, agreeing to his invitation.

She takes her apron off and grabs her purse as she hangs her apron at the same place her purse was. She walks to Ronald.

"Ready?"

Maritza nods as both leave the café.

* * *

At the other side of the street, Marc, Alex, Izaac, and Kyle are walking and talking.

Kyle looks at his cousin and asks,

"Aye man, what took you and Marc so long to meet us? I thought you both weren't far away?"

Izaac glares at Marc as he smiles sheepishly at Kyle.

"Well, let's just say a girl bumped into me and Marc goes ahead and flirts with her. He was speaking as if he met the love of his life."

Alex chuckles.

"The usual?"

Izaac nods, agreeing with Alex as Kyle laughs.

Marc grabs his stomach and asks,

"I'm hungry, any of you guys hungry?" Marc looks at three of his friends. All nod in agreement and Alex points at the café.

"It's a good place to eat. Heard they have a good chef, service, and food."

All nod and start walking to the light, but cars were passing by, so they would have to wait for a while.

Marc notices a black limo park in front of the café and Ronald Archibald steps out. He taps Izaac, pointing at Ronald, who was already opening the door to walk inside. Izaac squints his eyes to make sure it was Ronald.

Alex tilts his head in confusion. Kyle couldn't understand what was Ronald doing in the cafe if today he was going to spend the day with his family.

Well that's what he told Leon and Henry. He won't be attending tonight's party because of that, which didn't surprise Izaac nor Alex. They didn't hate the guy, but they didn't have as much contact with him as they do with Leon and Henry.

The light changes, but the only person who notices was Kyle, since he saw that Alex, Marc, and Izaac didn't take their eyes off from the café, He taps each, letting them know that the light changed and it would be time to walk so they could make it to the other side. All four men walk and make it on time to the other side of the street when they notice Ronald leaving the café with a girl. Marc's eyes widened as Izaac looked confused. Alex and Kyle looked amused at the whole situation.

Marc gasps, as Izaac looks at his two amused friends.

Marc would be the one who breaks the silence.

"Maritza? What is she doing with Ronald Archibald?"

Izaac nods, pointing at the girl who had bumped into him earlier at the street.

"She was at fault as much as this idiot was at fault. Bumped into me and shit. She apologized, but Romeo wanted to help and then talked to her for what felt an eternity to me. "

Marc rolls his eyes.

"Everything is an eternity to you. Damn, he has good taste. That girl looks cute in her black leather jack, black vans, dark skinny jeans, and – "

Alex rolls his eyes while Kyle snickers as Izaac shakes his head.

"We know. We saw how she was dressed. He never had bad taste in women in the first place. His history with women could be better, but that's an upgrade."

Marc nods at Kyle's comment. Alex and Izaac look at each other disagreeing with the comment. Izaac points out something that made Marc and Kyle roll their eyes.

"An upgrade? Hell no. She's not rich. She's not even from our level. What makes you think that's an upgrade? For all I know is that its going to be all over Gossip Girl if he can't keep it hush hush."

Alex nods as Kyle shrugs and Marc rolls his eyes.

The rest start walking towards the entrance of the café, but Izaac looks at the limo leaving, wondering,

What is Ronald Archibald doing by dating a girl who isn't even in their social economic level?

Line

"So, we'll be going to an amusement park. Is that okay with you?"

Maritza nods and shyly looks away. Ronald looks at his younger sister.

"Let's play 20 questions. I'd like to get to know you better. What do you say?"

"Sure. Should I start?"

Ronald nods.

"Favorite color?"

Ronald chuckles. Simple question.

"Green. Favorite Band?"

"I don't have a favorite band per say. Depends on the mood and stuff."

Maritza faces her brother.

"Favorite ice cream flavor?"

"Chocolate, yours?"

Maritza's eyes light up at the mention of chocolate.

"Oh my god! Same here! I love chocolate. Well, at least we have something in common."

Ronald chuckles nodding in agreement.

"Has it been hard for you to digest the truth Maritza?"

Maritza looks at Ronald thoughtful.

"I can't lie. It has been hard for me to digest that I have two siblings and a father. It must have been hard for you to accept that you have a younger sister."

Maritza looks away and turns to the window, looking outside the limo. Ronald sighs lowly. It truly has been an eventful month for both, but he needed to make the first move so they could have a stable relationship. He was the oldest and felt that it was his duty to do so.

"I can't lie to you Maritza. I was shocked and angry. You have to understand that I saw my father as someone to admire. We have the image of 'the perfect family.' It's an image everyone wishes to have in this world. Being an Elite means watching your every move, who to believe, and who to trust. My father was lucky enough to have loyal friends who protect each other's backs. That's what they wanted us to do. The next generation. The next heirs of their companies. They want to implement union, friendship and family within us."

Maritza nods and turns her head, looking at her older brother.

"You are a very lucky person. In your personal life. I can see you being like your father. Successful and being surrounded by trustworthy people."

Ronald grabs his sister's hand.

"Our father."

Ronald looks at his sister without letting her hand go and continues.

"You will be surrounded by family. By me, Alexa, and our father. His friends are the nicest people in the planet and I know they will treat you as if you were their daughter. You are no longer an orphan. You are my sister, Maritza Archibald. I wanted to have this talk before the conclusion of your adoption so you wouldn't have the wrong idea once you moved in with us. I don't hate you. Our parents have a past that they will explain when the time is right. I know our father. He won't leave this world without telling us the truth. Plus, Alexa loves you. Haven't you seen the way she smiles when she sees you? The number of times you have visited at our place and play with Alexa? Our family dinners each week?"

Maritza nods and sighs. She looks at Ronald and smiles sadly.

"I still feel fear and uncertainty. People will criticize me. Destroy me. Once – "

Ronald cuts her off.

"They will criticize and make things up, but only we know the truth. Remember what I just told you about trusting people? I can tell you that the people I trust I can only count within my ten fingers. Once the truth is out, we won't have to hide that you are family. An Archibald. I will be there every step of the way. You are my little sis."

Maritza nods as Ronald lets her hand go.

"Can I give you a hug?"

Maritza nods as Ronald hugs her tightly.

She was shocked with his reaction, but hugged him back a few seconds later.

"Welcome to the family little sis."

 **So, I am sorry for the long wait. I just finished with finals and preparing other things on the side. I apologize if this feels out of place or too rushed or it's all over the place.**

 **Recap of this chapter:**

 **1) Maritza and Yakov's relationship has weakened and become distant**

 **2) Maritza has met Marc and Izaac**

 **3) Maritza and Ronald's relationship has become closer**

 **4) Izaac, Marc, Alex, and Kyle saw Maritza and Ronald leaving the café and think Maritza is Ronald's love interest.**

 **Sorry for the long wait! Until next time?**

 **-AskEliz**


	6. Chapter 5: Gossip to Go!

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THE GOSSIP GIRL OR GOSSIP GIRL PARTY CHARACTERS! ALL RIGHTFULLY TO THEIR OWNERS**

 _ **Summary (extended):**_ Maritza Voss is 16 years old and is wanting to declare emancipation along with her best friend, Yakov Hamilton, from the foster care system. The last thing she needs to collect in order to confront the judge is the signature of her biological father. Her mother has been declared deceased ever since leaving Maritza at the orphanage when she was 6 months old, never being found ever since. The problem? Nathaniel Archibald, CEO and sole owner of the successful magazine, The Spectator, is Maritza's biological father. How will Nate react when he finds out about Maritza's existence and the fact that Majida never told him about her pregnancy 16 years ago? How will his children, Ronald and Alexa, react about their half-sister's existence? How will the rest of the gang react to the news? What happened between Nate and Majida 16 years ago? How did it all start? Why did Majida keep her pregnancy a secret and never told Nate? Why did she abandoned her 6 month old daughter and disappeared? How will Maritza fit with the next generation of Gossip Girl?

Chapter 5: Gossip to Go!

 **Narrator's POV**

All four boys walk into the café and sit down as a waiter drops off their menus. She couldn't keep her eyes from Alex as she waved and looked at him dreamingly. Alex smiles, showing off his princely smile as Izaac, Kyle, and Marc look through the menu.

The waiter walks up.

"Are you ready to order?"

Alex gives his most charming smile asking,

"What could you recommend to us newcomers to the café?"

The girl smiles.

"Well, I could recommend some scrambled eggs and French toast with some coffee?"

"I'll take that. Thank you… er?"

Alex looks at the waiter's name tag.

"Esther. Thank you, Esther."

Esther gives her most flirty smile as Izaac, Kyle, and Marc start ordering their food. She leaves, swaying her hips. Marc couldn't help but hide his laugh.

"Was it me or was she trying too hard to be flirty and stuff?"

Izaac nods.

"Yep. So, Alex, how does it feel to use your fake, 'princely,' smile to our dear new friend Esther the waiter?"

Alex chuckles as Kyle punches Alex's arm playfully.

"Man, you got game. Share the secret with us would ya, Casanova?"

Alex smiles, rolling his eyes at Kyle's comment.

As Kyle, Marc, Alex, and Izaac minded their own business, Yakov walks through the door looking for someone.

He stops at the front counter and notices Maritza's boss, Joe, working at the kitchen.

"Hey Joe, has Maritza been in today?"

Joe gives his utensils to someone in the kitchen as he cleans his hands off, walking to the cash counter.

"Yeah she has, but I decided to give her the day off."

Yakov raises one of his brow, wondering why has Joe given Maritza a day off. Even if he did give her the day off, she would have walked back to Sunnydale. So why hasn't she been back to Sunnydale?

"Ah, what made you give her the day off? It's pretty rare, since you only let her work the weekends at the café."

Joe sighs, giving Yakov a look.

"This is my business Yakov. Now that you're here, we need to talk about – "

Yakov cuts Joe off.

"So, she must have forgotten about me then. She didn't tell me about you giving her the day off."

Joe looks around, seeing that he has paying customers. He couldn't lose his control with Yakov.

"Yakov, I told her just today. When she came in, I told her that she should have a day off. It'll be paid. Anyway, she left long ago.

Joe whispers the last line to Yakov so no one could hear.

"Her brother came to pick her up as a surprise."

Yakov freezes. He looks at Joe.

 _Her brother?_

Yakov furrows his brows together. Ronald Archibald was here before him? What? Why? How does Joe know that Ronald Archibald and Maritza are related?

Joe notices distress in Yakov's face.

"Yakov. Are you okay?"

Yakov ignores Joe's question as he punches the counter, startling the clientele. People, including Izaac, Kyle, Marc, and Alex stop talking and look at the scene unfolding at the cash register.

Yakov ignores the looks, looking annoyed at Joe.

"Of course. Why couldn't I have thought of that. So dumb of me to look for her! She left with that – "

Yakov pushes his hair back and breathes in and out. Joe looks at the young man in front of him with worry in his eyes.

"Yakov, what's going on between you and Maritza? I'm worried about you. I've heard rumors that you're skipping school and – "

Yakov cuts Joe off.

"And? It's my life. I can do whatever I want. She's going to regret leaving me. I assure you that she'll crawl back to where she came from once she finds out that she's not made to fit in that preppy rich life. She'll come crying to me. I promise you that Joe."

Joe looks at Yakov confused as people start to murmur and feel uncomfortable.

"Yakov. I must ask you to leave. We can talk about this later."

"Whatever, see ya Joe."

Yakov walks out of the café, not bothering to look back.

Joe looks at his customers, smiling.

"There is nothing more to see. I apologize for the young boy's behavior. Please, enjoy your day."

Joe walks into the kitchen with a dejected look on his face. How could he say those things about Maritza? Joe doesn't understand, but he hopes and prays for Maritza's safety and Yakov's decisions.

* * *

Alex, Izaac, Kyle, and Marc look at each other.

Esther walks back with their food, smiling.

Alex wonders what had happened.

"Uh, Esther, what happened?"

Esther leaves each of their food on their table. Her smile disappears as she sighs lowly.

"It's not my place to say. But it seems that they were trying not to argue at first, but things got out of hand. I apologize if this has disturbed you or your friends."

Alex touches Esther's arm, comforting her.

"You have nothing to apologize for sweetie. Things happen."

Esther smiles.

"Enjoy your food."

She walks away as Alex looks back at his friends.

"Must be some argument between father and son?"

Kyle shrugs as he digs into his food.

* * *

Ronald shows Maritza a good time at the amusement park. From riding different rides and screaming to making fun of each other and having fun.

They both sit down and take a rest.

"I am having fun. I've never been to an amusement park."

Ronald smiles, patting his sister's head.

"Good, want some ice cream?"

Maritza nods. Ronald smiles and leaves to get some ice cream. Maritza can't believe she's hanging out with Ronald. She could swear that their relationship would be an estranged one. Plus, shouldn't he be embarrassed and feel worried once the secret is revealed? She knows she feels scared. She can't fully trust him yet, but he's getting there.

She looks around the amusement park.

"I bet Yakov would have had a blast here. Tch. Too bad he's been ignoring me."

Maritza shakes her head, wondering what he's been up to lately. She hopes he didn't take the news hard or negatively. She crosses her legs, waiting for her brother to bring the ice cream.

Ronald comes back with two chocolate ice cream cones. Maritza smiles, grabbing one from his hand.

Ronald sits down next to his sister eating the ice cream.

"So, after here, we're going to Alexa's dance recital. Dad will meet us there. But before going there, we must stop by a store and get ourselves changed into something fancy. We're eating out. Oh, and you'll be staying with us tonight."

Maritza stops eating her ice cream. What? She knew about her sister's dance recital, but changing into a fancy dress and staying over tonight? What about her clothes? Do people know in Sunnydale about her not coming tonight?

She looks at her brother speechless. He smiles looking at her.

"Don't worry about clothes. Dad arranged the whole thing. I took my part of arranging our outing for today. Like I've mentioned before, I wanted to get to know you better."

Maritza nods as she keeps eating her ice cream.

Ronald chuckles at her dumbfounded look. She keeps eating her ice cream, but tries to hide her surprise.

He knew she wouldn't have guessed it.

He hopes to win her trust one day, but for now, this would do.

* * *

Kyle and Marc finish eating their food.

"Man, I'm beat."

"Same here. This food is delicious. I think I should come to this café more often."

Marc nods in agreement with Kyle's comment about the food.

Kyle is the first to stand up.

"Well boys, I must sadly, and inevitably, leave. I have a photoshoot to attend and can't be late to it."

Marc nods. Alex takes his wallet out.

"I'll pay for everyone's food today. My treat."

Marc stands up from the table.

"I'll walk with you. I must go too. I promised my dad that I'd meet him at his office. He wants me to attend some important meeting. Sorry for not staying any longer and thank you Alex. Next time, it's my treat."

Izaac and Alex wave goodbye at Marc and Kyle, as they both leave.

Alex sighs looking at Izaac.

"What a day."

Izaac nods.

"You can say that again."

Alex chuckles.

"So, how are things with Lilly. Has Henry found out about you two sleeping together?"

Izaac sighs.

"No. nor do I care."

Alex shakes his head.

"I know that look. You do care. He's your cousin's best friend. You don't care about Lilly though, so why are you messing with her?"

"Because she's the one who wants to. It's just makes things easier for me to sleep with her. She's right there. I don't need to look for women at parties who would willingly just want to mess around. Plus, zero strings attached."

"Izaac… But she's – "

Izaac cuts Alex off.

"She's Henry's girl. Problem is, she's lied to Henry multiple times. You and I know that I started messing around with Lilly before her trip with Henry's family. Can't you imagine if that came out?"

Izaac chuckles as Alex shakes his head.

"All I can hope that this doesn't make it to Gossip Girl. This would ruin her."

Izaac shrugs.

"Like I said, I don't care."

Their cellphones chime off, revealing an alert from Gossip Girl.

Alex and Izaac look at each other, wondering what news she will be revealing.

Izaac unlocks his phone, reading the alert:

"Spotted: It seems our Royal Archibald is playing Romeo with a mystery girl. Picking her up from work and taking her to an amusement park? Seems romantic. For little children that is. Wonder if she's the next conquest or future princess to the king's heart. Only time will tell Upper East Siders. Oh and by the way R, we're watching you.

Until Next Time.

xoxo Gossip Girl."

Izaac and Alex look at each other relieved. It wasn't them for once!

Izaac looks at both photos posted on Gossip Girl. It's that girl who pushed him earlier!

"Alex, it's the same girl who pushed me earlier. She's the girl who Marc helped too."

"Well, looks like Ronald isn't as careful as we thought he was."

"Yeah. He's usually private about his life. What's gotten to him?"

"Maybe he's pretty serious about the girl?"

Izaac shrugs his shoulders.

"Eh, it's his life. I'll just ask Leon about it later."

Alex laughs. What's funny about the situation is that even though he says he doesn't care, his actions speak the opposite.

* * *

Ronald looks at his phone as he and Maritza walks out of the amusement park. Perfect. Time to head to get Maritza's dress and leave to their sister's recital.

"So, did you have fun?"

Maritza nods as she walks towards the limo that's been waiting outside.

"Mr. Archibald, where to next?"

Ronald smiles,

"Buy Maritza's dress."

"Same place Mr. Archibald?"

"Yes, same place."

Both get inside the limo and leave the park behind. Ronald's phone chimes with a message. He unlocks it and looks at it.

"Spotted: It seems our Royal Archibald is playing Romeo with a mystery girl. Picking her up from work and taking her to an amusement park? Seems romantic. For little children that is. Wonder if she's the next conquest or future princess to the king's heart. Only time will tell Upper East Siders. Oh, and by the way R, we're watching you.

Until Next Time.

xoxo Gossip Girl."

Ronald scrolls down looking at the pictures of them together from him picking her up from work and during their time at the amusement park.

He sighs as he looks at his sister. This is going to be hard to explain to everyone. He must talk to his father about this situation or it may get out of hand. He needs to think about the safety of Maritza and their privacy.

How is he going to confront everyone and tell them that the mystery girl is his newfound half – blooded sister and just wanted to bond with her?

 **Chapter 5 Done! Please, leave comments or suggestions as how I can better the story or if you'd like to share any ideas that can fit the story! It would help me to keep writing more!**

 **Recap of the chapter:**

 **1) Joe and Yakov argue about Maritza's current situation. Yakov seems to start walking the wrong path and is starting to resent Maritza**

 **2) Lilly seems to be cheating on Henry with Izaac. Henry has no idea at the moment and only Alex seems to know about the situation between Lilly and Izaac**

 **3) Gossip Girl has reported that Ronald has a conquest, "mystery girl." Only problem is that mystery girl is Maritza, his younger sister.**

 **By the way, Joe and Esther are under the occasional or guest characters from the story!**

 **-AskEliz**


	7. Chapter 6: Curses and Blessings

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THE GOSSIP GIRL OR GOSSIP GIRL PARTY CHARACTERS! ALL RIGHTFULLY TO THEIR OWNERS**

 ** _Summary (extended):_** Maritza Voss is 16 years old and is wanting to declare emancipation along with her best friend, Yakov Hamilton, from the foster care system. The last thing she needs to collect in order to confront the judge is the signature of her biological father. Her mother has been declared deceased ever since leaving Maritza at the orphanage when she was 6 months old, never being found ever since. The problem? Nathaniel Archibald, CEO and sole owner of the successful magazine, The Spectator, is Maritza's biological father. How will Nate react when he finds out about Maritza's existence and the fact that Majida never told him about her pregnancy 16 years ago? How will his children, Ronald and Alexa, react about their half-sister's existence? How will the rest of the gang react to the news? What happened between Nate and Majida 16 years ago? How did it all start? Why did Majida keep her pregnancy a secret and never told Nate? Why did she abandoned her 6 month old daughter and disappeared? How will Maritza fit with the next generation of Gossip Girl?

 **Chapter 6: Curses and Blessings  
**

 **Narrator's POV**

Lily Humphrey is putting her favorite Black Prada high heels that combine with her white, short sundress.

She gets up and looks at herself on the mirror and twirls around, looking to see if what she's wearing is presentable for date night with her boyfriend, Henry Bass.

"I hope he likes it."

She smiles to herself as she grabs her Chanel Pink Purse. She slides her phone inside her favorite back and analyzes if the outfit looks good enough with her makeup and her purse.

She smacks her lips and gives herself one last look.

"Beautiful."

She says that to herself as she opens the door, walking to the hallway.

She greets her cousin, Jenny.

"Hey Jen. How do you think I look? Does this dress bring up too much attention to myself? Does this purse match the outfit?"

Jenny looks at her cousin up and down. Her favorite Prada black high heels, Chanel pink purse, and an expensive, short, sundress. My, is she aiming to give Henry a heart attack?

"Dashing. Date night?"

Lily nods, smiling at her cousin Jenny.

"Oh, well, say hi to Henry for me will you!"

Jenny leaves to her room as Lily walks downstairs, humming happily.

* * *

Jenny closes the door.

She grabs her phone, looking at the pictures Gossip Girl posted about Ronald and the new 'mystery girl.'

She exits out the blog, grabbing her headphones, notebook, and drawing utensils.

She sits down on her desk, and puts on her headphones and automatically plays Sign of the Times by Harry Styles on her phone.

She hums to the tune, drawing the sunset on her notebook, concentrating on the what could've been with her family and present.

The curves on her drawing representing the craziness her parents' sudden deaths created in the family and her life.

The fights each family had to endure. Who would take her under their wing? She was an orphan now. She had no protection. Her mother was gone. Her father was gone. Forever.

Her eyes discerning each detail the city she was born in gives her to portray in her drawing. She draws intensively, erasing, editing and redrawing her lines on her notebook.

A knock interrupts her concentration, with her Aunt Serena's head popping in quietly. Jenny turns around as Serena walks inside, taking a peek in her niece's notebook.

"Did I ever tell you that your mother was very creative too?"

Serena drapes an arm around Jenny's shoulders, hugging her gently.

Jenny looks up, smiling sadly at her aunt's comment.

"Is that a compliment?"

Serena chuckles, admiring the unfinished drawing.

"I can't wait to see the outcome of the drawing."

Jenny chuckles, nodding.

"You'll be the first person to see my finished product. Thank you, aunt."

Serena smiles, nodding in agreement. It's rare for Serena to admire something, unless there's originality, creativity, and talent coming from the person who is creating the 'something.'

This person would be Jenny Humphrey's daughter, Jenny Collins.

Serena smiles. She speaks again.

"I came by to ask if you'd like to come to the Spa with Aunt Blair and myself? Lily's going out with Henry and your uncle will be going to an important meeting, leaving you alone. Some quality time with your aunts won't hurt you, right?"

Serena nudges Jenny playfully, smiling. Jenny looks at her drawing, then at her aunt. Maybe some quality time with her aunts wouldn't hurt. Plus, it's been a long time since she's gone to the spa.

"I'll join. Let me just put my shoes on."

Serena nods.

"Perfect, we'll wait for you downstairs."

* * *

Ronald looks at himself in the mirror.

He sighs lowly, looking at himself.

He questions whether what he's doing is right. If he exposes Maritza more, more questions will arise. He knows the consequences, but he feels that the truth will come out sooner or later. She's an Archibald and would be treated as such. She's his sister. She's at the same level as Alexa.

He takes his phone out, looking at the time and wondering when Maritza will walk out of the room.

A door opens with Maritza appearing next to the family stylist. She smiles, bringing Maritza to the front.

"Mr. Archibald, she's ready."

Ronald nods. Looking at Maritza, he asks,

"Have you seen yourself in the mirror yet?"

She shakes her head, not having any idea how different she looks. Ronald smiles, grabbing her hand and taking her to the mirror.

Maritza gasps, looking how different she looks.

She's worn dresses before, but not this expensive looking.

She's wearing a high low red dress with a long tail touching the floor. Combined with the dress, she's wearing black closed toe heels with ankle straps, each having a bow on the side. She's wearing earrings that combine with the color of the dress with a necklace. In addition, she's taking a black clutch purse to fit some make up and her phone.

Maritza takes one long look at herself. She then looks at her brother.

"How...? But...?"

Ronald chuckles.

"Like it?"

Maritza nods, still looking shocked at her transformation.

"Ronald…"

She checks her make – up, looking natural and radiant. Her hair has been curled while her bangs have been straightened.

"Speechless, right?"

She couldn't stop looking at herself. Yet, there were only two problems for Maritza, Money and how would she be able to walk in these heels?

Of course, she's walked on heels before, but not 6 inch heels.

Ronald notices Maritza's facial expression change to a sour and thoughtful one. He knew what he had to do.

"What's wrong? Are you not satisfied with something? We still have very little time but – "

Maritza cuts him off.

"No. No. No. This… I'm thankful Ronald. It's just… I'm not used to wearing expensive dresses, not even wearing heels like these. I just… I'm not confident enough."

She looks up at Ronald. He nods and smiles.

"You'll have to learn one day, right? Why not start now? Plus, just grab my arm if you need any help walking. Anyway, if I'm not wrong, dad's waiting for us already at Alexa's ballet recital. If we don't leave now, he'll start calling us non-stop. One thing's for sure, dad's impatient."

Maritza nods, smiling. Ronald points to his arm as she grabs it and both start walking to the limo. The chauffer opens the door, as Ronald helps Maritza into the limo. He looks around before getting into the limo with his sister.

Next Stop: The Recital.

* * *

Izaac is inside his limo, waiting for someone outside the expensive looking condo. He looks at the time, wondering what's taking them so long.

He sighs, looking outside. He remembers the conversation he had with Alex earlier today at the Café.

 _"I know that look. You do care. He's your cousin's best friend. You don't care about Lily though, so why are you messing with her?"_

Because she was an easy way out of his reality. Sex for him was his coping mechanism for emotional pain. Parties, drinks, and drugs were the way out of his own reality. His friends knew that. Everyone knew that.

So, Lily HAD to know that. For sure. She's no saint either. She knew what was she getting into in the first place.

They were messing with each other prior to her relationship with Henry. The only part that bothers his is that Lily still claims to be a virgin, even though he, Alex, and the person she lost her virginity know the truth.

It all took one drunken night of partying and hardcore drugs to turn her fact into a lie.

Someone taps the window. Izaac lowers it, revealing a disappointed and pissed off Lily Humphrey.

"He ditched again. Wanna know the excuse he gave me?"

She chuckles, with tears threatening to prickle down her rosy cheeks.

Izaac looks at Lily.

"Come inside, we can talk about it here."

She nods, opening the door to his limo and slides inside, closing the door behind her.

"So, why did he ditch you?"

She sighs, laughing.

"He wouldn't be able to make it to the date because he's at a meeting with his father. He apologizes and asks to 'reschedule,' again. Do you realize how many times he's done this to me?! I'm getting sick and tired of the whole situation. Just because he's wanting to get involved more into the family business doesn't mean that he should ignore me!"

Her eyes prickle with tears, as her breathing begins to slow down. She cries and sniffs.

"Look at the dress I bought AND saved for this precise date! It all went to trash! All for nothing I got pretty!"

Lily cries more for a while and wipes her tears off her cheeks and eyes.

She laughs, looking at Izaac.

"This must bore you. But, just knowing that people think the relationship with Henry is one to dream. He was a dream a few months back. Now, he just ignores me."

Izaac looks at Lily, wondering something.

"So, why don't you end things with Henry once and for all if you feel so frustrated?"

Lily chuckles, still wiping tears off her eyes.

"Because I love him."

Izaac was tempted to laugh, but pressed his lips firmly, repressing the laugh threatening to come out of his mouth.

If she loved the guy, why cheat with him? If she loved him that much, why not just end things here? If she loved him that much, why is she even here in the first place?

The better questions would be, why is he even here in the first place?

He said he didn't care about Lily, so why would he leave his home to pick up Lily, listen to her blab about her life, and have sex with her the next moment?

Because deep inside, he knows the feeling of heartbreak and disappointment.

He knows it so well that he uses Lily to take those feelings out.

"If I were you, talk to him. Explain your side. How you feel. How hard is it to open up to him?"

Lily nods, kissing Izaac. Izaac responds back, kissing Lily and picks her up, putting her on his lap. He kisses her neck, smelling her expensive perfume. She gasps lowly, exposing her neck a little bit more.

Izaac slides his hands to Lily's back, kissing her neck slowly. Lily smiles, closing her eyes.

She pushes back, looking at Izaac and smiling seductively, asking,

"The usual?"

 **Short Chapter, but I hope the story starts tying up little by little! Also, I have changed the title. I thought the previous title was too long and in the end, they are all heirs to their respective companies and have some sort of money they will inherit at some point.  
**

 **Chapter Recap:**

 **1) Lily was supposed to have a date night with boyfriend, Henry Bass, but cancelled last minute, giving her the excuse that he wouldn't be able to make it because he was attending a meeting with his father.**

 **2) Jenny seems to have a bond with the family, but has a belief that her life would be very different if her parents were alive and could tend to fall in depression.**

 **3) Ronald surprises his sister Maritza with an expensive dress, transforming her into an elite like himself for their sister's formal ballet recital. They would be meeting up with Nate at the recital.**

 **4) We see a little bit of Izaac's personality for a brief moment. During that moment, he reveals that Lily is lying about her virginity. The only ones who know about this are Izaac, Alex, and the person she lost her virginity to. This supposedly happened at a party that involved alcohol and drugs.**

 **5) It seems that Lily and Henry's relationship isn't as perfect as everybody thinks is. Even the 'IT' couple has problems.**

 **Please, leave comments or any recommendations as how to improve the story!Also, tell me if the chapter recaps help explain the story better!  
**

 **Thanks!**

 **-AskEliz**


	8. Chapter 7: Lies, Secrets, Surprises

**_Summary (extended):_** Maritza Voss is 16 years old and is wanting to declare emancipation along with her best friend, Yakov Hamilton, from the foster care system. The last thing she needs to collect in order to confront the judge is the signature of her biological father. Her mother has been declared deceased ever since leaving Maritza at the orphanage when she was 6 months old, never being found ever since. The problem? Nathaniel Archibald, CEO and sole owner of the successful magazine, The Spectator, is Maritza's biological father. How will Nate react when he finds out about Maritza's existence and the fact that Majida never told him about her pregnancy 16 years ago? How will his children, Ronald and Alexa, react about their half-sister's existence? How will the rest of the gang react to the news? What happened between Nate and Majida 16 years ago? How did it all start? Why did Majida keep her pregnancy a secret and never told Nate? Why did she abandoned her 6 month old daughter and disappeared? How will Maritza fit with the next generation of Gossip Girl?

 **Chapter 7: Lies, Secrets, Surprises**

Narrator's POV

People stand up, clapping while the curtains close.

Maritza was clapping along with Ronald and Nate, smiling. People started to exit out of their seats, but Nate, Ronald, and Maritza waited a little bit longer to give others the chance to exit the auditorium.

Maritza, Ronald, and their father proceeded to exit out once the place looked a little bit less crowded.

Maritza looked around, looking surprised at how fancy the place it. Ronald chuckled at his sister's expression while Nate smiled at his two children.

"Ronald, Maritza, I will be right back. I'm going to pick up Alexa. Meet me in the limo."

Both nod at their father's instructions.

Ronald looks at his father leave and then turns around looking at his sister.

"I'm going to the restroom, I'll be right back and we can both walk back to the limo. That is, if you also need to go to the restroom."

Maritza shakes her head no and urges her brother to go to the restroom, promising that she'd wait here. Ronald smiles and walks away from Maritza.

Maritza opens her purse and checks her phone.

3 missed phone calls.

5 unread text messages.

1 voicemail.

Maritza opens the text messages first.

3 were from Yakov

 _I came by your job today. You weren't there._

 _I had a huge argument with your boss._

 _Text me back. Need to talk._

Maritza sighed lowly, frowning at Yakov's actions. Why did he come by her job anyway? Why did she argue with Joe? She needed some clarification ASAP. She also needed to apologize to Joe for the inconvenience that this brought to his business.

She immediately texts him back:

 _You went to my job today why? You argued with the boss why? Do you realize that if I get fired from the job, it'll be your fault, right? What did you both even argue about? We need to seriously talk because your attitude has been annoying me lately. You've been avoiding me and shit. What's your problem?!_

Maritza looks at her message. She truly was tired of his attitude. Skipping school, ignoring her, and now arguing with her boss? What's next? Punching someone out of pure anger?

She sends the message. Someone taps her shoulder and she turns around to find herself looking at a smiling Ronald.

"Shall we go Maritza? Dinner is awaiting for us."

Maritza nods, smiling and putting her phone back inside her purse.

They both proceed to walk out of the building.

* * *

Lily zips her dress as Izaac puts his coat on.

Izaac looks at Lily,

"You know the drill. I leave first, then you leave. We leave the hotel in different exits. Oh, and we leave in different cars."

Lily nods at Izaac's instructions. Izaac opens the door and looks at Lily for a second, but turns around closing the door and leaves. Lily sighs as she sits down on a white chair. She grabs her phone and checks her Facebook. She scrolls and sees a selfie from her cousin Jenny with her mom and her Aunt Blair with a caption:

 _At the Spa with my favorite people!_

Lily rolls her eyes at the caption.

"Pfft. How ironic."

Lily laughs by herself and keeps scrolling through her Facebook when the image of Ronald with a girl she couldn't identify comes up her feed.

She couldn't believe her eyes.

What is this?

She clicks the image to identify the girl, but her face was too blurry to see who the girl is. She then reads the caption:

" _Spotted: It seems our Royal Archibald is playing Romeo with a mystery girl. Picking her up from work and taking her to an amusement park? Seems romantic. For little children that is. Wonder if she's the next conquest or future princess to the king's heart. Only time will tell Upper East Siders. Oh, and by the way R, we're watching you._

 _Until Next Time._

 _xoxo Gossip Girl."_

She clicks her tongue. So, Ron is being a naughty boy? Who knew he had it in himself to appear in GG's (Gossip Girl) website once again?

Lily gets up and walks up to the window

She looks outside and notices that Izaac's limo is nowhere near her eyesight any longer.

"How did we get to this?"

She sighs lowly, remembering that night one year ago.

One year ago, she lost her virginity to someone she thought loved her back. His brown locks of hair still haunt her till this day. She can still feel them on her fingers and how they mercilessly twirled around her fingers. The feel of his soft hair on the palm of her hands.

They were nowhere comparable to Henry's hair. She couldn't compare Henry and the man she once loved. Their styles, looks, and even personalities were different. The one closest to the comparison would be Izaac or Alex. Alex can tend to be a little bit more heartless than Izaac, but he still has his moments where he could act like a real-world class prince.

She chuckles. She can't believe that she's comparing the man she once loved to the guy she's messing around with.

"You are an idiot Lily. Comparing men."

She laughs to herself as she closes the door to the hotel room.

She smiles brightly and walks away.

* * *

Maritza sits down on the table with Nate, Alexa, and Ronald.

Alexa looks at Maritza, analyzing her every move while her father and brother gave out their orders.

"Miss, what would you like to drink and eat?"

Maritza looks up and smiles and then looks through the menu.

"I would like some lemonade and er…"

The waitress writes down their drinks while Maritza looks down the menu. She couldn't be surprised at the prices and looked at the least expensive one.

"Steak w/ rice and mashed potatoes and gravy"

She smiles at the waitress and gives her menu to her as she waits for the rest to finish ordering.

Alexa looks at Maritza and asks,

"How old awe you?"

Maritza smiles to her little sister.

"16, about to be 17 this November. You?"

Alexa smiles as she plays a little with her pink dress. She looks up and counts her fingers. She shows all her 5 fingers to her Maritza.

"Five. Like my hand! I'll be 6 next May!"

Alexa beams proudly to the older teen. From the opposite of the table, Nate smiles proudly at how things are going between Alexa and Maritza. Ronald notices that his father's worries have lessen, showing a less tense façade around his children.

"Dad?"

Nate looks up at his son.

"Yes?"

"How will you tell the rest of the world about Maritza? Is she going to attend the same school or not?"

Nate nods at his son's questions. He scratches his head.

"Well, to answer your question, for now, it's best for everyone to think that Maritza is just an old family friend. She's not used to our lifestyle yet and I'm afraid how paparazzi and the world would react with such news from us. She will have to attend Constance, but all on its time."

Ronald looks at the exchange between Alexa and Maritza. They seem to get along better and Alexa has stopped ignoring Maritza. Ronald sighs lowly, remembering the picture that's circulating around the internet of him and Maritza.

"Uhm dad. What if I tell you that a picture of Maritza and myself are surfing around the web?"

Nate freezes for a moment.

"What image?"

Ronald breathes in and whispers lowly,

"Her face isn't recognizable. Whoever took the picture must have had a very bad angle. She's just a mystery girl to everyone."

Ronald unlocks his phone and shows the picture to his father.

Nate nods as Ronald puts his phone away.

"Well, we must be careful. As for now, until the adoption process finishes and goes through, Maritza is only a family friend."

Ronald nods, looking at his sisters. Both are chatting and talking about their favorite color, food, and even hobbies.

"Will she be given the official family ring just like myself and the others dad?"

Nate nods.

"She's family after all. One of the heirs to my empire. Just like Alexa and yourself."

Ronald nods.

"Until the adoption process is complete, she will receive the ring."

* * *

Jenny walks back to her room with bags full of clothes, shoes, and jewelry. She drops them to the floor and lays down on her bed. She sighs loudly on her pillow and then hugs her teddy bear.

It's the last thing her mother had given her before their fateful lives ended.

"So tired. Aunt Blair was all over the place, bringing in dresses, skirts, shirts, blouses, and even ridiculous shoes."

Jenny finishes mumbling when Lily walks through her door.

"Jenny! Saw that you went on a Spa! Seems that you went shopping with Aunt Blair and mom. How was it?"

Jenny knew her cousin well. Of course, she would ask how things went. Everyone knew the history between her mother, Aunt Blair, and her Aunt Serena. Everyone knew how different Aunt Blair would treat Lily and Jenny. Lily has always been praised for her beauty and elegance while Jenny has been pushed aside. All their lives there's been competition between the two young teens. Lily liked being in the top and loved for Jenny to be in the shadows.

"It went well. How was your date?"

Jenny yawns as she sits up on her bed. She stretches her arms high and looks at her cousin.

"Well, the date was cancelled, but I still went ahead and toured around New York. You know, looking around."

Lily smiles sheepishly as she sits down on a beam bag, crossing her legs. Lily wonders when her cousin would get rid of the old beam bag. It's so pre-teens now.

Lily looks at the bags that are on the floor.

"Huh, what's all those bags doing on the floor?"

Jenny looks down. She had forgotten about her shopping bags.

"After the spa, we went shopping. Aunt Blair went crazy, making me try out dresses, shirts, shoes, and even jewelry. You know how she cares a lot on being up to date with fashion."

Lily nods, looking thoughtful.

"Yeah, that's Aunt Blair for us."

Jenny laughs, hugging her bear tightly.

"So how upset are you with Henry from 1 to 10?"

Lily looks at her cousin.

"I'm not upset. Anyway, he's going to inherit his father's company. Might as well know the in's and out's of it. He's going to be in front of a big empire. He has to fill the role his father plays one day."

Jenny nods. Of course, Lily wouldn't be upset. She'd be secured by marrying Henry and into the family. Add the fact that her mother has her own empire. Two empires combined equals to being the rulers of the world.

"So, Jenny, Ronald. Can you believe he's hanging out with a nobody?"

Lily scoffs as she unlocks her phone and shows the picture to Jenny.

Jenny rolls her eyes and grabs her cousin's phone.

"It's his life. What do I care."

Lily grabs her phone back, trying not to laugh at Jenny's reaction and words.

"Jenny, you should hurry up and tell Ronald that you like him! Save that embarrassment for him and just tell him! You'll be happy just like me! Now if you fix your appearance and show more confidence that is."

Lily laughs as she stands up. She walks out of Jenny's room and closes the door.

She could hear Lily's voice singing and humming.

"And that's family for me. Ugh."

Jenny hides her face on the pillow and closes her eyes, thinking how things would be different if her mother and father were here to defend her from Lily's indirect punches to her self – esteem.

* * *

Henry sits down on the sofa. He sighs loudly as his mother walks in his room.

"Oh, didn't hear you come in. How was your day sweetheart?"

"It was tiring. I felt bad for canceling on Lily. I just hope she understands that father is trying to teach me the ropes of the family business."

Blair nods, sympathizing with Lily.

"That's why I love Lily so much. She's very understanding and patient."

Henry chuckles.

"You've always been fond of Lily. Is it because she's your best friend's daughter?"

Blair laughs as she sits down on her son's bed.

"No, she has class, elegance, and education. Something her cousin lacks."

Blair clicks her tongue and a sour look appears on her face.

"She reminds me very much of her mother's taste on her style. We may have had some arguments in the past, but it doesn't mean I don't love Jenny. It's just my preference to have Lily around more than Jenny."

Henry nods, looking at his mother.

He knew the truth better. His mother always praised Lily more due to her sense of style, attitude, and personality. Lily reminded Blair to her younger self from the past.

"So how was your day mom?"

Blair crosses her legs, trying to remember what she did the whole day.

"Well, I went to the spa with your Aunt Serena and Jenny. Surprisingly, we went shopping after. Jenny didn't say much and we bought a bunch of clothes, shoes and some jewelry. We each went our separate ways after. Pretty much that was my day."

Henry was surprised.

"My mom spent the day with Jenny Collins? Aunt Serena's niece? What? Is the world about to end?"

Blair rolls her eyes at her son.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny Henry. More respect to your mother. But yes, I spent the day with Jenny. She wasn't defiant. She was actually helpful enough for my research on the latest trends in fashion for teens and young women."

"Ah, you never stop surprising me mom. Maybe that's why you're at the top of the fashion world."

Blair laughs, looking at her son.

"No, I'm on the top of the fashion world because I am always one step ahead, shocking everyone."

Blair looks at her watch.

"Oh my, your sister must be arriving home now."

Blair stands up and kisses her son's forehead and leaves, closing the door.

Henry grabs his phone and calls Ronald.

Ronald answers.

"Hello, Ronald speaking."

Henry rolls his eyes at his best friend's answer.

"Stop being so formal with me, you duffus. How are ya?"

Ronald laughs.

"Pretty good man. Just had dinner with the family. How was your meeting with your father?"

Henry sighs lowly.

"Tiring. I couldn't stop feeling bad for canceling on Lily. We had a date tonight."

"Ah, that sucks. Thank god, I'm single! No date night for me!"

Ronald laughs.

"Oh no, you don't have a girlfriend, but just a mystery girl roaming your sights."

"So, you saw?"

"No, I guessed. Of course, I saw the picture! It' all over the internet! Who is she?"

"She's just a family friend. We haven't hung out in years."

"Ah, suuuure. Family friend. Got it. No intentions on going further than that?"

"No. No intentions whatsoever. She's just a family friend."

Henry chuckles.

"That's how things started between Lily and I. Remember?"

"Yeah. How pissed do you think she is right now for canceling date night?"

"Pretty much infinity. It's not the first time. I've cancelled many times before. Anyway, enough about us. That's not the reason I called. I have to tell you something."

"Uh, what is it?"

"Guess who was also attending the same meeting as I was attending with my dad?"

"No idea. Uh, Leon?"

"No, Marc Jones! Couldn't believe it."

"No way! With his father?"

"Oh yeah. Izaac's father was also there, but not the devil himself."

"That must disappoint Izaac's father. But Marc Jones? That's a surprise. Wonder what's he up to now."

"Eh. I don't care. It's just surprising that Marc cares about his father's business."

"At least one out of the four cares about their father's business. Maybe they're going to start maturing."

Henry laughs.

"Oh please. Don't make me laugh anymore. They care more about booze, parties, and women."

"You do realize that was us a few years back right?"

"But we weren't as bad as they are today. We partied, but not as hard as they do."

"Well, that is true."

"Exactly."

Henry yawns.

"Well, I'll talk to you more on Monday. Get ready to answer everyone's questions after Gossip Girl's post with you family friend."

Ronald laughs.

"Ha, sure. I will be ready. Night Mate!"

"Night Archibald"

The line dies as Ronald goes ahead and changes his clothes and gets ready to get some rest for the night.

* * *

 **Well, it's been a long time since updating the story. Sorry about that!**

 **Chapter Recap:**

 **1) Maritza is angry at Yakov for his actions with her boss.**

 **2) There seems to be some sort of competition between Jenny and Lily. Lily seems to think that she's better than her cousin Jenny.**

 **3) Blair prefers Lily over Jenny since Henry is surprised with his mother going shopping with Jenny.**

 **4) Lily was in love when she lost her virginity. She can't seem to stop thinking about him and even compares him to Izaac, Alex, and her current boyfriend, Henry**

 **5) Nate asks Ronald to mention that Maritza is only a family friend. He will keep this story until the process has been finished. Nate is afraid of the repercussions this might bring to the family and decides to keep Maritza on the down low for now.**

 **That's all for now! Until next time!**


	9. Chapter 8: Victimization and Toxicity

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THE GOSSIP GIRL OR GOSSIP GIRL PARTY CHARACTERS! ALL RIGHTFULLY TO THEIR OWNERS**

 _ **Summary (extended):**_ Maritza Voss is 16 years old and is wanting to declare emancipation along with her best friend, Yakov Hamilton, from the foster care system. The last thing she needs to collect in order to confront the judge is the signature of her biological father. Her mother has been declared deceased ever since leaving Maritza at the orphanage when she was 6 months old, never being found ever since. The problem? Nathaniel Archibald, CEO and sole owner of the successful magazine, The Spectator, is Maritza's biological father. How will Nate react when he finds out about Maritza's existence and the fact that Majida never told him about her pregnancy 16 years ago? How will his children, Ronald and Alexa, react about their half-sister's existence? How will the rest of the gang react to the news? What happened between Nate and Majida 16 years ago? How did it all start? Why did Majida keep her pregnancy a secret and never told Nate? Why did she abandoned her 6 month old daughter and disappeared? How will Maritza fit with the next generation of Gossip Girl?

 **Chapter 8: Victimization and Toxicity**

Narrator's POV

It was Monday morning and Maritza hasn't dared to speak to Yakov ever since she found out how bad the discussion with her boss, Joe, had gotten to. She felt very angry and disappointed at how Yakow has been acting lately and didn't feel like dealing with him now, deciding to avoid him overall. She walks out of her room, grabbing her book bag and her phone. She leaves Sunnydale, looking up at the sky and sighs, thinking how crazy her life has become since finding out she was the daughter of Nathaniel Archibald. She understood as to why Mr. Archibald needed to keep it a secret for the time being, but sometimes Maritza wondered if he was embarrassed to admit that she was an illegitimate child.

She waits for the bus as she plugs in her earphones and listens to some music on her phone. She feels someone getting close to her, but decides to ignore it as she hums to the song, Toxic that was covered by Melanie Martinez. The bus stops as she gets in and sees an open seat. She sits down, placing her book bag next to her and takes out her pink bullet journal and decides to organize her pictures. She writes down the description under the pictures she has taken and glued on her journal as she smiles looking at one picture she took a few months back. She sighs, touching it as she begins to write down what she remembered that day.

 _Maritza had her camera with her as she was taking pictures of many things surrounding the park. A certain fountain captured her interest as she then took the picture. She smiled at the aim and how good the picture came out on her camera. She looks up at the sky, wondering about her family past. Who were her parents and how come they left her abandoned at the orphanage?_

 _She proceeds to sit down on a bench, looking at the fountain and how the water coming out just entertains her. She tilts her head sideways, wondering why does a simple fountain makes her feel at peace. A peace she never learned until now. The sound of the water hitting the surface as the sun radiated her face. The wind caressing her face as she closed her eyes, breathing in peace._

The fountain became Maritza's favorite hiding spot when it came to conflicts in her life or when she needed to be alone and away from society. Not many people walk by and she would sit under a tree, just drawing, writing, or taking pictures of something interesting and glue it to her journal.

The bus stopped and Maritza walked out, looking at her high school. Many people were walking out and even spotted some running. Maritza tilted her head sideways, looking confused at the sight in front of her. She noticed Megan, a girl from her English class looking panicked. Maritza walked up to her and asked,

"What's going on?"

Megan looked at Maritza as she composed herself.

"There was a gang fight. The usual. This time guns and fire were involved in the cafeteria. That's all I saw, but some say two were harmed in the fight."

Maritza nods, thanking Megan and proceeds to call Yakov. Even though she was still angry at his latest actions, she wanted to know he was fine. Sadly, the call wen to voice mail. She left a voice mail and decided to text him.

Yakov:

 _Yak, are you okay? I'm right now in the school property. There was a gang fight that involved guns and fire. Don't know if school will open for today._

Maritza sighs as she looks over at the news crews already covering the scene unfolding this morning. Maritza rolls her eyes at the scene unfolding in front of her. People were talking and murmuring at how two people were shot during the fight. She felt a vibration coming from her phone. She sighed in relief to know it was Yakov who was calling her. She proceeds to answer it:

" _Hey, yeah, I haven't made it out from the Sunny yet. Know who the victims are or something?"_

"Nope. The bus dropped me off at the usual stop, but saw that people were walking or running out of the building. I talked to Megan, the girl from my English class, and told me that there was a gang fight that involved guns and fire in the cafeteria. I've heard people passing that two people were injured, but there has not been any deaths or people detained from this incident."

" _Damn. That sounds horrible. Do you know if classes are being cancelled for the time being?"_

"There hasn't been word about it as of right now. Who knows. This may be something normal for us, but it's still some scary shit."

" _I can agree on that. By the way, thanks."_

"For?"

" _Worrying about my well – being. I've been a dick to you as of lately and I want to apologize, but in person. I miss you."_

Maritza sighs and closes her eyes. She still felt angry about his attitude, but she also knew that he was the only the person she could truly count on. Yakov was her only family. Even though she found her real family, she couldn't count on them because she still felt that they could still turn a blind eye and forget about her existence.

"I miss you too. You know you're my only family. I forgive you, but I need you to apologize to Joe. I want to be there when that happens. And of course we need to talk!"

Yakov chuckles.

" _Alright Ritz, get your ass back to Sunny. My social worker just came in and told me that school has been cancelled for the week. I wanna hug you tightly and hang out with you."_

Maritza laughs at his comment before saying bye. She looks at the scene unfolding and shakes her head, wondering if Yakov and herself would be able to leave alive from this side of New York one day.

* * *

Nate looked at the television with his brows furrowed. At first, he wasn't too worried when he had heard a school was closed due to fire and a gang fight involving guns, but when they mentioned Maritza's school, he stormed into his office and turned on the TV, watching the news unfold. There were reports of two people injured due to a gang fight that involved guns and fire. The school would be closed for the week due to investigation and repairs in the cafeteria. Nate sighs and calls Janet. At the third ring, she answers:

" _Hi this is Janet!"_

"Janet, this is Nathaniel Archibald, Maritza's father."

" _Ah, Mr. Archibald! What can I do for you this morning?"_

"Well, I heard the news about the school Maritza currently attends. Is she okay?"

There was a pause.

" _Yes. She seems to be fine. She got in contact with her friend Yakov. She's currently making her way back here is what I'm being informed right now."_

Nate feels relieved at the news.

"Thank goodness. I'm still very worried Janet. I've been wondering if I could transfer her to another school?"

Janet sighs and there was a long pause.

" _I understand your concern. I am as well, but this is Maritza's decision on whether she wants to move schools or not. I've explained how transferring her right now wouldn't be the best idea since she's still digesting the idea of finding her real father and family. I get that seeing her every weekend and her staying this past weekend with the family was a big step, but you must understand that – "_

Nate cuts her off immediately. He felt frustrated at her response.

"Janet. She's going to be legally mine and under my protection. In a few more weeks, she'll be leaving Sunnydale and will be staying with me and her _real_ family. You must understand that once word comes out that she's my daughter, she must be in a safe environment. This includes school. You're not dealing with a normal family. You're dealing with me, Nathaniel Archibald."

" _Alright Mr. Archibald. It will be your choice. I don't normally do this, but because she's a special case involving her safety, I will agree to this. I hope you know the consequences. When will you tell her?"_

Nate scratches the back of his head, feeling a little angry at this conversation.

"Today. She will be enrolled as Maritza Voss. For right now, this is my decision. She will be transferring to Constance and finish her high school there. She will understand that this will be for her well – being."

" _Understood. I shall begin with the transfer right after this phone call. Was there anything else you've been needing help with Mr. Archibald?"_

"I'd like for you to update me once she's made it back to the orphanage safe. I want to speak to her, so please, if you would ask her to call me as soon as possible. Any hour would be fine by me."

" _Understood Mr. Archibald."_

"Thank you, Janet. For everything you've done. I'm truly sorry if I sounded very harsh in the beginning. I'm worried about her safety and well-being."

" _Mr. Archibald, it's okay. I understand. I'm also concerned. I must commend you for taking responsibility right away for your daughter. Not many people do."_

"Thank you, Janet. I hope you have a nice day and I'll be waiting on your phone call as hers also. I'll be passing by today."

Both say their goodbyes as Nate puts his phone on his desk and calls his secretary over.

"Please, call Constance. Tell them that they're having a new student attend the school and to enroll her with the needed classes. Documents will be sent by her social worker, Janet. Add that I want everything fixed by Friday morning. Also, ask them to update me on her enrollment. It shouldn't be a problem since her records are squeaky clean and her grades along with her grade point average are at a good standing point. Oh, and I want copies of her enrollment in Constance and the high school she is in right now."

"Of course, Sir. Here are the documents you asked me earlier for this morning's meeting."

"About the meeting, please apologize and tell them something has come up. Reschedule it for Friday morning. Don't schedule any meetings for at least three weeks. Family business has come up and need to be dealt with."

"Of course, Sir. Anything else?" The secretary writes everything down on her notepad, looking up at her boss.

"That'll be it for now. Thank you, Pam."

Pam leaves the office. Nate sighs looking at his phone and wonders if he's doing things right. He doesn't know how will Maritza react to the sudden change, but he knew it was coming. Whether it was today, tomorrow, or six months from now, she had to say goodbye to her old life and hello to this one. He's afraid of her reaction, but he's more afraid to lose her.

* * *

Lunch was in session at Constance/St. Jude's and Ronald was sitting down on his favorite place with Henry and Leon outside. Henry was sitting on top of the table while Leon and Ronald where sitting down on the chair. All three were chatting until Lily waltzes her way and sits down next to Henry, whom smiles at her and kisses her forehead. Ronald and Leon make gag noises as Lily sticks her tongue out at both her friends. She then pouts at Henry as he kisses her on the lips. She smiles warmly as she then remembers why she came over.

"So, our Ronald boy made news over the weekend. Care to talk a little bit more about mystery girl?" Ronald rolls his eyes as Henry looks at him smugly and Leon snickers at the news.

"She's just a family friend. I haven't seen her in years. That's all. I've told this to Henry over the phone Saturday night." Lily just huffs and rolls her eyes. She crosses her arms looking at Ronald indignantly.

"Liar. You are such a liar! She has to be an interest for you!" Ronald chuckles at the word 'interest.' He wishes to tell his friends the reality of the situation, but remembers how his father has prohibited him to speak of it for now. He shakes his head, hoping they believe him. If they knew the truth, it'll blow up like a nuke and make things harder for Maritza's transition in her daily life. It was Leon who came to his defense.

"Alright guys, if he doesn't want to speak of it, then we shouldn't pressure the man. Plus, if she's just a family friend, she's just a family friend. I believe him." Lily rolls her eyes at Leon's support as Ronald sends him a mental thank you while Henry hugs and controls Lily. They all knew she wouldn't be too happy at the response, but it was Ronald who decided whether not to share or not.

"I should get back to the minions. You guys are boring." All three laugh at her little outburst as she stomps away annoyed while all three look at each other.

"She'll get over it. Like always." All three laugh again when they notice their phones chiming in. People started to whisper about the latest news update on Gossip Girl.

 _Guess who's joining us little kids? A newby. Word has it newby will be attending class next week. A new victim to pry on? Guess we'll have to play the wait and see game._

 _-xoxo GG_

"New student? Around this time of the year?" It was Leon who looked surprised at the news. Henry and Ronald just shrugged it off, but wondering who could the new student be. Well, new victim of Gossip Girl.

"I wonder if it's a guy or girl." Henry says, looking around.

"So much mystery…" Ronald sighs. The bell rings as people start leaving the cafeteria. All three of them say their goodbyes. Ronald walks to the hallway, bumping into Izaac. Izaac looks annoyed while Ronald mumbles an apology. It was then that Izaac opened his mouth.

"Mystery girl, eh? Didn't know Ronald Archibald had it in him. I suggest picking someone in our economic status." This made Ronald turn around and face him. This made his mind in alert and wonder what Izaac saw. He narrowed his eyes in annoyance at Izaac.

"What are you talking about?" Izaac rolled his eyes at his attempt to deflect the conversation.

"We saw you with the girl from the café. We're not stupid here. Just next time, be better at sneaking out." Izaac pats Ronald's back and leaves. As Ronald's eyes widened.

"Who else saw." This made Izaac chuckle.

"How about we meet after school. Front stairs. We can talk from there." Ronald nods and leaves Izaac behind. Izaac's eyes narrowed, wondering why Ronald cared, when in the past, he wouldn't care nor listen to explanations. Something deep was going on and was curious enough to find out.

* * *

Maritza had called her father and spoke to him. He was coming over as soon as he finished some business at his office, which made her suspicious. Were the adoptions papers already processed and approved that fast? She couldn't understand or grasp what was going on, but right now, she was sitting down with Yakov with her legs crossed on the sofa. She wanted to understand what was Yakov going through that made him change his attitude drastically. She looks at him, signaling for him to speak.

"So, I owe you an apology. I've been a jerk to you since you discovered your father. Maritza, do you realize how lucky you are to have found your father?" She nods, looking at her best friend carefully. She wondered if his words were sincere or not because she knows him well enough. He's a good liar when it comes to escaping sticky situations, such as this one. He can be calculating and play his cards well enough to sway his way through without any further problems. As for Yakov, he did mean the apology, but his excuse would be the shitty type. He would attribute it to stress and the fear of losing her, when in reality, he just couldn't accept that she would be the one leaving the facility first. When she had told him about finding her real father, he had debated to whether encourage her or bring her down. In the end, he let her choose, hoping that the outcome wouldn't stomp his current plans.

Yakov knew that losing Maritza meant losing his partner in crime. She's cunning and smart to the point that she knows how to plot and execute when needed. She is someone very vital in his life that he would use her to his advantage without her noticing. He knew her weakest point just like her strongest and toy with her psychologically until she's under his wing, making him feel like the hero and her older big brother. This way, Maritza wouldn't be able to object and just obey. He truly cares for her, but he likes having the upper hand on various situations.

Going back to the conversation, Maritza sighs, crossing her arms.

"Yak, it was just luck. Remember what was my punishment for stealing documents? I washed dishes and cleaned the kitchen for weeks after. What if my father was deceased? Anything in this life can happen. You and I know that well." Yakov nods, agreeing with her thinking process, but he couldn't help feeling that his plans were crumbling little by little as the days went by. Once Maritza leaves, she'll be out of his sight, living the life she was _supposed_ to live in the first place.

"I get that, but I'm just afraid to lose you. You're from a rich family, you'll probably switch schools, leaving me behind. How can I feel secure that you'll be by my side like you promised me years ago? We're a team. You and I against the world. Remember that?" Yakov looks at Maritza with sadness in his eyes as she looks down, frowning at his thought process.

"How could you think that? You're my family. Remember that? What I told you over the phone just hours ago? Even when I'm not here with you, I still worry about you. Even when I don't agree with your actions, I stick by your side. Is it something that I've done that's making you doubt my loyalty towards you?" At this point, Yakov looked at her journal on her hand. He sighs and scratches his head, feeling irritated.

"You don't understand. You've been hanging out with your new _family_ more than with me. Don't you know how pissed I was when I wanted to pass by your job this past Saturday? I was devastated and I needed my friend. No, I needed my sister to console me and hear my troubles. Yet, I come to find out that she left with her real brother who she just found out not too long ago to hang out and bond. Don't you care about me and my emotions Maritza?" Yakov hisses through his gritted teeth and stands up, pacing around the living room, casting his eyes down. Maritza looks down, feeling guilty. She shakes it off and stands up, looking angry at him. She couldn't take it any longer.

"Oh yeah? Then why the fuck have you been distant? You've been avoiding me since I told you about my father's existence! I thought you were happy, but it seems that you weren't. Don't you think I'm that much of an idiot Yakov. You've been skipping school with Joshua's gang and we both damn well know what reputation that gang has." Yakov was taken back by Maritza's response. He couldn't help but laugh.

"Two can play this game Maritza. They've been helping me ever since you decided to hang out with _those_ people. Have you not learned your lesson when it comes to them? How many families have promised happiness, but instead given you suffering? Don't you remember what happened with the Rodriguez? Hm?" Maritza blinks, as she shakes her head, not wanting to remember that part of her life. She casts her eyes down and starts to fidget with her hands, feeling uncomfortable. At this point, Yakov knew very well that she was under his command once again and had the upper hand and manipulation on the conversation. He continued.

"That's what I thought. You should be careful on who to trust. You and I know that we should only trust each other. Don't you remember the plan? Emancipate and leave the garbage of a city? Start our new lives elsewhere? Why do you think you got the job in the first place? I'm hanging out with Joshua's gang to get more money. Remember all that?" Maritza nods, not wanting to let tears fall on her cheeks. Yakov hugs her tightly and kisses her forehead.

"Hey, I had to be harsh so you could see that getting near your real family could be a repeat of last time. Who was there to pick up the pieces? I was. I was there when your life became a hellhole and saved you from it. I'll apologize to Joe tomorrow. Promise." Maritza nods as she breathes in and out slowly, counting down slowly and trying to control her anxiety. She buries her face on Yakov's chest as he hugs her tightly.

Footsteps could be heard walking closer to the living room as Maritza leaves Yakov's embrace. She slaps both her cheeks and massages her neck. Yakov couldn't help but feel bad, but he also knew that if she were to leave, he wouldn't be able to control her as much as he had the past few years. She was his brain, but also the only family he had.

Janet walks in unexpectedly, looking at the scene in front of her. She looked at Maritza with worry while turning her gaze to Yakov with suspicion.

"Yakov, please go back to your room. I need to talk to Maritza about something." Yakov sighs and nods, leaving the room. Janet couldn't help but feel tension around the room.

"Maritza, sit down. You don't seem well. We can reschedule your father's appointment for another day." Maritza shakes her head, as she smiles at her social worker weakly. She sits down on the sofa and closes her eyes, wondering what would her father say. Not only the recent argument had plagued her mind, but her father's sudden meeting was making her feel curious and anxious.

Janet nods at her decision. She grabs Maritza's hands, looking at her.

"Maritza, your father will be coming here with some news involving your well-being. Please, take this as calmly as you can. Can you promise me that?" Maritza raises one of her eyebrows, questioning Janet's comment.

* * *

 **Finally! Chapter done and done! Please, tell me how I can better the story by leaving comments! It will be greatly appreciated! Thank you!**

 **I must warn that I might not update as much since I'll be working and attending classes and it'll be hectic with it being my last year in college. But, I will try to organize myself!**

 **Chapter Recap:**

 **1) Nate decides to start paperwork for Maritza's transfer to Constance for her safety.**

 **2) Yakov has ulterior motives and manipulates Maritza through an argument.**

 **3) Something happened with the Rodriguez that gives Maritza some sort of an anxiety attack, making Yakov to somehow use it to is benefit.**

 **4) Yakov seems to be involved in Joshua's gang.**

 **5) Izaac and Ronald's little exchange after lunch, which involves explanations on what Izaac saw that Saturday.**

 **-AskEliz**


	10. Chapter 9: Burning Bridges

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THE GOSSIP GIRL OR GOSSIP GIRL PARTY CHARACTERS! ALL RIGHTFULLY TO THEIR OWNERS**

 _ **Summary (extended):**_ Maritza Voss is 16 years old and is wanting to declare emancipation along with her best friend, Yakov Hamilton, from the foster care system. The last thing she needs to collect in order to confront the judge is the signature of her biological father. Her mother has been declared deceased ever since leaving Maritza at the orphanage when she was 6 months old, never being found ever since. The problem? Nathaniel Archibald, CEO and sole owner of the successful magazine, The Spectator, is Maritza's biological father. How will Nate react when he finds out about Maritza's existence and the fact that Majida never told him about her pregnancy 16 years ago? How will his children, Ronald and Alexa, react about their half-sister's existence? How will the rest of the gang react to the news? What happened between Nate and Majida 16 years ago? How did it all start? Why did Majida keep her pregnancy a secret and never told Nate? Why did she abandoned her 6 month old daughter and disappeared? How will Maritza fit with the next generation of Gossip Girl?

 **Chapter 9: Burning Bridges**

Narrator's POV

The bell rang at Constance/St. Jude's, signaling the end of the day.

Izaac was walking out of class with one of his best friends, Alex Hansen.

"So, what are the plans for right now?" Alex asks.

"For right now, I have to meet up with Archibald. Let's see how he reacts when I say we saw them. I can't wait!"

Alex chuckles at Izaac's response and rolls his eyes.

"Sadistic asshole. Heard anything from Lily?"

Izaac shakes his head and sighs.

"Don't remind me about her."

Alex stops Izaac, giving him a confused look.

"Mind telling me what happened between the two of you?"

Izaac sighs and scratches his head in frustration.

"I met up with her again." This made Alex roll his eyes in annoyance.

"Really? More like for sex or therapy?"

Izaac chuckles at Alex's response.

"Both. She claims to love Bass, but she fools around with me." This made Alex laugh and then click his tongue.

"I feel bad for Henry. She makes him feel bad for not spending more time with her, yet she's cheating on him with you. Do you realize how fucked up that sounds coming out of my mouth?" Izaac blinks at Alex's words as he gulps forcefully. He truly didn't want to be the other guy, but sex with Lily was a way to let out his frustration in life. He knew the rules of the game as well as she did also. Izaac sighs, nodding with Alex.

"I think I want to end the whole ordeal with Lily. I don't need any more complications in my personal life." Alex nods, agreeing with Izaac. Izaac takes his iPhone out, checking that he's running late on meeting Ronald.

"Hey man, I'm running late on meeting Archibald. Text you later?" Alex nods, waving goodbye to his best friend.

Alex sighs and smiles. He turns around to the next hall, where he spots Jenny Collins. She's taking her books out of her bag and putting them in her locker, but suddenly her book bag falls, with her books and papers scattering around. Jenny crouches and tries to grab her books and papers as Alex also crouches, helping Lily's cousin. He then gets up as Jenny also gets up.

"Here you go." Alex hands Jenny some of the papers and books that had fallen to the floor. Jenny nods and smiles back at Alex, mumbling a thank you.

"Hey, let me help you." Jenny raises her eyebrow at the sudden generosity Alex was giving her. She steps back as Alex puts the books and papers on her locker. Both finish and Jenny closes and locks her locker.

She faces him as she grabs her backpack.

"Thanks for the help Alex. You're a life savior." Alex chuckles and smiles at Jenny's words. He's never had the opportunity to talk much to Jenny Collins, but he did know that she was very different from her cousin.

Smart and quiet. She seems to isolate herself from everyone, and didn't attend to too many parties unlike Lily. No one would dare to bully the girl due to her family loss. It made Alex think how fortunate she is to have caring people around her life who would do anything to protect her from anything.

"Don't sweat it. Those advanced classes do take a toll, don't they?" Jenny chuckles, nodding at Alex's question.

"Believe me, AP English is killing me. I can't be much interested at Pride and Prejudice. I'd rather read something far less romantic." Alex laughs.

"Wait, so are you having trouble with Pride and Prejudice? You do know we have to write a research report about a theme involving that book and all that mumbo jumbo, right?" Jenny groans as Alex laughs at her response.

"Don't remind me. Anyway, what does AP English have to do with my drawings?" Alex smiles and nods, agreeing with Jenny's response.

"I say the same thing about chemistry. What does it have to do with Architecture and World History." This statement gave Jenny an idea. She smiles at Alex, wondering if he was having trouble with chemistry.

"I do have a question, now that you mention chemistry, are you having trouble with the equations?" Alex nods and sighs. He wonders how he would survive the whole year revolving around atoms, neutrons, and the periodic table.

"I have an idea. How about you help me in English and I'll help you in Chemistry? I have an A in that class." Alex's eyes grow in astonishment at Jenny's suggestion. She's always been alone and rejected the idea to tutor other people in the past. It was either she had a secret crush on him or she desperately needed the help in her English paper. Jenny notices Alex's surprised face as she chuckles.

"Alex, I need the help. Badly. I don't want my GPA to suffer. And please, stop thinking I have a crush on you. I'm not every girl." This made Alex chuckle.

"Alright, I accept your offer. Tomorrow in the library after school?" Jenny nods at Alex's offer.

"Alright, it's settled then. Do you have my number?" Alex shakes his head. Both exchange phone numbers. Jenny starts to walk away, but Alex says something that takes Jenny off guard.

"By the way, who says your like every girl?" At this, Alex leaves and Jenny rolls her eyes and composes herself.

She walks outside, noticing Lily and Henry being all over each other. She sighs and walks straight to the limo, feeling ready to go back to her room and finish her latest drawing.

* * *

"What do you mean I have to go to Constance? Isn't that defeating the purpose of letting me have a voice in the process?"

At this, Janet and Nate sigh at a very pissed off Maritza.

"How dare you both transfer me to another school without my OPINION or CONSENT?! This is my life we are talking about! My friends, my education. Have you even stopped thinking about it for at least a second before making such a drastic decision? Huh? Answer me!" Maritza walks back and forth in the living room, ready to cry and punch the wall. She felt very angry and frustrated at the fact that she was being transferred to another high school without her consent.

Nate scratches his head and sighs in frustration. He knew the possibility of Maritza reacting violently with the news, but deep down he knew it was for her best in the long run. Her safety was his biggest concern right now.

"Maritza, you have to understand that your safety worries me in that high school. Do you not know how worried I was when I heard the news of your high school? What if it was you?"

Maritza rolls her eyes at her father's stupid excuse.

"But it wasn't. It didn't happen. I'm not involved in gang activity. I'm safe."

Janet shakes her head at Maritza's response. She knew Maritza's attitude may be hard to handle, but deep down, Janet knew that she's afraid of showing her fear. It's a way Maritza disguises her sadness and weakness. She channels anger to the point of not noticing how her attitude and harsh response or comments hurt others.

"Sweetie, please sit down. Your father was concerned. I understand him completely when it comes to your safety. Understand that this would have happened sooner or later. Your family isn't just any ordinary family. You have Archibald blood running through your veins."

Maritza sighs and sits down, looking out the window. She couldn't believe it. She was leaving her life behind and starting a new one at a new high school. It just wasn't any ordinary high school, it was one of the best high schools in New York. Many people might think she was crazy for getting angry, but they wouldn't understand the situation in the first place.

She just didn't like changes in her life. It made her feel uneasy and insecure of her future.

Nate gets up and sits next to her daughter.

"Maritza, look at me." Maritza turns around and looks at her father.

"I promise you, I will take care of you. You won't be alone. Ronald, Janet, and myself will be there with you every step of the way. We will just tell everyone you're a family friend who I just wanted to help out until I find a way to say the truth in front of the world. No one will try to harm you. I promise that."

Maritza looks out the window again. Kids were playing in the playground, just like that same day.

" _Well, Mr. Rodriguez was offered a promotion, but he'd have to leave for the UK. That means that our whole family would have to relocate to another country due to this." Mrs. Rodriguez looks at a young Maritza Voss playing with her dolls. She was only 10 when The Rodriguez's wanted to adopt her._

 _She would be an only child since Mrs. Rodriguez was sterile and couldn't have children. It caused her sadness, to which it broke her husband's heart, but sought comfort once their eyes laid on little Maritza Voss._

 _Maritza's social worker, Cecile, nods at the Rodriguez's statement._

" _There shouldn't be a problem taking her out of the country. With the job, money, and lifestyle your husband has, it'll be approved in no time."_

 _At that, Mrs. Rodriguez smiled. Mr. Rodriguez nods and asks,_

" _So, when can we start the adoption process?"_

 _Cecily smiles politely,_

" _We can start right away if you'd like. I just need to notify my director about the situation immediately after. But, are you sure of adopting Maritza Voss?"_

 _Both adults nod and look at the little girl playing with her dolls. She looks up, smiling happily and shows the Rodriguez's the dolls she was currently playing with. Mrs. Rodriguez stands up from the couch and crouches down, smiling and playing with Maritza's hair._

" _Maritza Voss won't be anymore. You'll be known as Maritza Rodriguez. My daughter. I'll promise to protect you with my life just like your father here. We'll be there with you every step of the way. We both promise."_

"Maritza?"

Maritza blinks, leaving the past.

She turns around, facing Janet and Nate.

She responds with clear venom and ager in her eyes,

"Hm? Is there any more surprises I need to know?"

Nate looks at his daughter with worry and sadness in his eyes. Janet just shakes her head in shame and sighs in frustration. Both stand up with resignation.

"Mr. Archibald, the adoption process is close to being finalized. Just letting you know. I need to talk to you privately about something too." Nate nods at Janet's response. Maritza looks at the wall, analyzing the situation at hand. She knew what she had to do if she didn't want a repeat from the Rodriguez's.

She'd have to live and breathe and analyze the new territory she'd be in. She needed to articulate a plan that would work on her favor.

Maybe, just maybe, if she could start living with the Archibald's and they knew the type of person she is just like the other families, they would bring her back to the orphanage and give up on her easily. Best outcome would be her father signing the papers for her independence. She smiles smugly as she starts calculating and throwing variables to her plan. It's something she would need help with, which is why she would explain it to Yakov and set the plan in motion.

Maritza lays down and crosses her legs, looking up at the celling, wondering if what she was doing was the right decision. The families after the Rodriguez's were crappy and horrible human beings. They would depict the perfect family structure, but once stepping inside their households, a different reality emerges. They would be ignored, beaten, and treated as babysitters for the children they had. It was a point that they were treated more as servants than family.

Maritza turns her eyes towards her father.

Would he try to become the 'perfect' father for her or would it all be just words being thrown to the air? She knew what she had to do. Yakov would think that she was crazy and an 'idiot' for proposing what she was going to say to both Janet and Nate, but she needed to analyze the enemy. Anyway, she was quick to find a solution when things wouldn't go her way.

She sits up, crossing her legs. She ties her hair into a ponytail. She closes her eyes and sighs. She always had a plan in mind, but this time, it was different. She needed to do this.

"Janet, Nate?"

Both adults turn around. Maritza stands up with confidence.

"I'll go to Constance without any needed force or persuasion, but Mr. Archibald has to agree to something."

Nate raises one of his eye brows, wondering what he would need to agree to. Janet was scared and tense as to what Maritza wanted to propose. Nate crosses his arms while Maritza makes direct eye contact with her father.

"I'll agree on attending Constance, but starting today, I want to live under your roof as your daughter. I agree that everyone else knows, just for now, that I'm just a family friend's daughter you adopted. Later, I want the truth to come out. That I'm an Archibald like Ronald and Alexa. Even if it means I'm just their half-blooded sister."

Both Janet and Nate were thrown off for a moment. Janet couldn't stop blinking at Maritza's words as Nate's eyes grew with surprise. Maritza smiled confidently, nodding at her own words.

Janet was the first to scramble and give Maritza an incredulous look.

"Are you sure about this? We can wait- "

Maritza cuts her social worker off.

"I am. I want to live under my father's household starting today. It was bound to happen sooner or later right? Just like my transfer to Constance. Why not just move in while we're at it?"

Janet didn't have words as Nate chuckles at his daughter's proposal. Maritza raised her eye brows and looked at her father confused with his reaction.

Wouldn't he be objecting this and differ from her proposal? This action from her father didn't sit well with Maritza, but contrary to her thinking, Nate was a step further. He was amused at the fact that his own daughter proposed this and not him. Nate learned as the years passed not to be the beggar, but the one to _beg_ to.

He wanted to have control of a situation and not being _taken_ advantage of.

Nate smiles, looking at his daughter.

"Agreed. You're right. Sooner or later I'd have to take you with me. Go pack all your things. I'll be waiting."

Maritza nods, walking past Janet and Nate.

Janet just couldn't believe what just happened.

"Mr. Archibald, I don't – "

Nate cuts Janet off.

"It's a great idea. Janet, I've gone through a lot. I think I can handle a rebellious Maritza. The decision has been made. I'll be waiting for her. She is my daughter after all."

Janet sighs and rolls her eyes. She just couldn't understand them. She felt doubt at first that they were related, but this clears all doubts out of her mind.

Both are crazy and extreme with their thoughts and actions.

Like father, like daughter.

* * *

Ronald has his hands inside his sweater pockets, waiting for Izaac in the front gate. He wondered if Izaac saw something suspicious that could point to Maritza being his sister. He takes his iPhone, checking the time and if there were any missed texts or calls from the devil himself.

Ronald knew when encountering Izaac, it was encountering hell. It's worse when the Martins and Archibalds have a rivalry in business, money, and power to the point of wanting to rip each other's throats to pieces. As for right now, Archibalds have the upper hand in the magazine business, but the Martins have the upper hand in the jewelry/conglomerate business. They're very known for their quality and infamous family history, originating from Germany.

Ronald notices Izaac walking up to the front gate and sighs. He stands up straight, looking right at Izaac. Izaac chuckles, leaning against the gate.

"Nice to see you again, Archibald."

Ronald nods, not leaving his eyes from the young Martin.

"Nice to see you again, Martin. So, what did you want to tell me that you saw."

Izaac laughs, shaking his head. He clicks his tongue.

"Slow down Ronny boy. Let's talk calmly like the mature young adults we are."

This annoys Ronald, even more so when being called "Ronny boy." It boils his blood, but he knew if he wanted to find out what Izaac saw that day, he had to tolerate it.

"I don't have the time to fool around unlike you Izaac. I have a college essay to finish at home. Something I do take seriously, unlike you."

Izaac crosses his arms, smiling tauntingly at Ronald. He was getting a kick out of every response his enemy was giving him. He chuckles and sighs lowly.

"I do take things seriously, but unlike you, I don't have a stick up my ass, Archibald. I enjoy life. Not the way many deem great, but it's enjoyable for me. Don't you remember that type of life, Ronny boy? You used to be one us back in the day. Or are we going to play the 'I'm a saint game'?"

Izaac tilts his head, looking at Ronald. He notices how Ronald had his hands balled into fists, which amused him.

"What. Did. You. See."

Izaac looks up the sky, smiling.

"Marc and I know who the mystery girl is and how she looks like. We saw when she climbed into your limo. Alex and Kyle also saw the scene unfold. Never thought you'd shoot that low, man. You should have called me, or shoot me a quick text message. I could have shown you real women." This made Ronald feel tense, but relieved at the same time. If they knew the reality and the situation his family is in, they would have gotten a kick out of it. He scratches his head and laughs at Izaac.

"Pfft. Is that all?" His response make Izaac raise his eyebrows, looking at him suspiciously.

"What do you mean, 'is that all?' You should be shaking by now. I could reveal the girl's name. I can ask Marc right away. Did I tell you they spoke briefly that day? I could leak all the information to Gossip Girl. They would appreciate it very much."

Izaac smirks triumphantly as Ronald looks at him annoyed.

"How do I know that what you are saying is true? All you've done is talk, but where's the evidence? I don't see it anywhere. Mark, Alex, nor Kyle are here to back you up. I mean, what is your intention, Martin? Damage my reputation? I mean, yours is pretty damn destroyed. Who would believe a womanizing asshole anyway?"

Izaac straightens himself and looks directly at Ronald.

"It's sad how much you've changed, Archibald. You used to be the craziest from the bunch. Partied with us every weekend. Now you act like your better than everyone."

Ronald looks away and up at the sky.

"I'm not better than you or everyone. Anyway, why are we talking about the past, when you've done shittier things. I'm going to say this for the last time, she's just a family friend. Nothing more. Nothing less. It's been like that for years. What more explanation do you want Martin. I'm leaving."

Ronald starts to walk when Izaac starts talking.

"Well, I've got bad news for you, Archibald. I don't believe you. Not one bit. You're hiding something. I'm going to find the actual truth and expose you. Whatever your hiding, it must be something big. I don't believe she's just your family friend. None of us do. When I find out about the truth, I will make sure to show everyone your family isn't the 'example' to follow."

Izaac walks away, leaving a quiet Ronald. He sighs and checks the time on his phone.

4:30pm.

It was time to leave and go home. Something Ronald had wanted to do since leaving his last class. He walks through the streets of New York, hoping Izaac never knows the actual truth about the meet up he had with his sister.

* * *

Gossip Girl:

Gossip Girl here with the latest gossip you wouldn't want to miss. Call it everyone's guilty pleasure.

Seems a war is brewing between two well-known families. Get your cameras ready, it's a fight no one wouldn't want to miss. Like they say, like father, like son.

The 'IT' couple can't keep their hands off each other. Wonder how long their happiness lasts. Wouldn't want to see their fairy tale relationship fall into pieces.

Sources have spotted the queen bee's cousin flirting with one of the most wanted bachelors' in the hallways after school. Rumor has it both have exchanged numbers and are to meet up sometime tomorrow after school. Careful with this bachelor mini J, he's notorious for leaving broken hearts and crazed up girls and women after him.

I rarely do this, but welcome to the world of Gossip Girl mini J. I can't wait what the future brings for you!

Lastly, more information about new girl. I heard she's a fighter. Wonder what chaos she might bring to Constance.

Things are about to get exciting.

xoxo Gossip Girl

* * *

 **Author's note:** I must apologize for the long wait. This past month has been truly hectic, especially with Hurricane Harvey and the rain event. Fortunately, my home was spared. Unfortunately, this pushed much of my schoolwork behind (Last year of college), creating my schedule to go crazy along with work being hectic these past few weeks, but I assure you, the next chapter will be up sometime next month. I'm just trying to organize myself a little bit better. I apologize if there are misspellings or if it was rushed.

As always, please leave a comment, especially on how to improve the story and ideas that I might even consider mixing up in the story.

Recap:

1) Alex and Jenny help each other out. Couple alert or no?

2) Seems Izaac is starting to get tired of their games.

3) It's set in stone. Maritza will not only be transferring to Constance, but start living under thesame roof as her father and siblings. She did this intentionally to test the territory and get her plan together. What's this plan of hers consist of? Is Yakov actually a bad influence or no?

4) Flashback about the Rodriguez's. What happened?

5) Rivalry between Ronald and Izaac. Forced or nah?

Thanks!

AskEliz


	11. Chapter 10: Welcome Home, Maritza!

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THE GOSSIP GIRL OR GOSSIP GIRL PARTY CHARACTERS! ALL RIGHTFULLY TO THEIR OWNERS**

 _ **Summary (extended):**_ Maritza Voss is 16 years old and is wanting to declare emancipation along with her best friend, Yakov Hamilton, from the foster care system. The last thing she needs to collect in order to confront the judge is the signature of her biological father. Her mother has been declared deceased ever since leaving Maritza at the orphanage when she was 6 months old, never being found ever since. The problem? Nathaniel Archibald, CEO and sole owner of the successful magazine, The Spectator, is Maritza's biological father. How will Nate react when he finds out about Maritza's existence and the fact that Majida never told him about her pregnancy 16 years ago? How will his children, Ronald and Alexa, react about their half-sister's existence? How will the rest of the gang react to the news? What happened between Nate and Majida 16 years ago? How did it all start? Why did Majida keep her pregnancy a secret and never told Nate? Why did she abandoned her 6 month old daughter and disappeared? How will Maritza fit with the next generation of Gossip Girl?

 **Chapter 10: Welcome Home, Maritza!**

Narrator's POV

"Yak, I need to talk to you."

Maritza drags Yakov inside her room and closes the door. She paces back and forth, realizing what she had just done.

Yakov sits down on the bed, looking at Maritza confused, ready to listen.

"You're making me nervous with your pacing back and forth, what's going on Ritz?"

Maritza sighs, grabbing her bag and all the clothes she has, which wasn't much luckily. "Yakov, I don't have much time, so I'll talk while packing. Just listen to me carefully."

This raised Yakov's interest, getting comfortable on the bed he was sitting on while looking at Maritza. Maritza grabs more clothes, packing up as quick as she can. How could she break the news to her best friend about moving in permanently with her family or the fact that she won't attend the same high school after this week? She knew she had to do this and hope for the best.

"My father wants to transfer me to Constance." Maritza bites her bottom lip, feeling nervous while Yakov just nods, looking thoughtful. He tilts his head, standing up and looking at Maritza. She keeps packing, but stops when Yakov grabs her arm, making her face him.

"What do you mean transfer to Constance? You said no, right?" Maritza looks down, shaking her head.

Maritza faintly responds, "I didn't have a choice. It was already made when I found out." Yakov narrows his eyes, looking at his best friend. He sighs in frustration, not letting her arm go. At least she wasn't leaving the orphanage. It could have been worse.

"At least we'll see each other here every day. I can live with that." Maritza lets her tears fall down her cheeks freely. Her voice becomes faint, close to a whisper.

"I'm so sorry Yakov. I-I didn't know what I-I was thinking..." Yakov grabs both of her arms. What the hell was going on with her? What could she have done to be this upset?

"Maritza, breathe. Did something happen in the meeting with your dad or something?"

Maritza looks up at Yakov, trying to control her tears.

"I'm leaving Yakov." Yakov laughs, sitting down. Of course she was leaving, but for a few days. She was coming back to the orphanage. She would just stay a day or two over Nate's, but came back to her real home; Sunnydale.

"Oh Maritza. You're such a good actress. I know you're leaving. Nate is waiting outside." Maritza shakes her head.

"Yakov, I'm not coming back. I'm going to live with them." Yakov's eyes grow in surprise. He couldn't believe his ears.

She was going to leave Sunnydale once again.

He shakes his head, denying this was happening once again. This happened before. He knew the story too well.

"Maritza, are you doing this because you're forced to? Look, we can plan something out like old time and- "

Maritza cuts him off.

"No, it was my suggestion to live with them." Yakov couldn't bear it. He tightens his grip on Maritza's arms as she tries to escape his grip.

"Yak, please. Let me go. You're hurting me… Please…" Maritza's voice turns into one of pain. He lets her go as she wipes her tears off her eyes and cheeks, putting in any more clothes in to her bag. She closes it as she tries to get close to him. Yakov just turns around, not facing her.

"I have a plan. If you let me explain- "

Yakov starts walking out of the room, stopping Maritza from talking any more. He looks back at his now ex-best friend.

"Just go Maritza. You did this willingly. I thought you learned your lesson from the Rodriguez's. I thought we were family, but I was wrong. You did this all by yourself. How could you? Leaving me alone here! This time, you're alone. I wish you the best." Yakov walks away as Maritza falls on the floor, sobbing and sniffling quietly. She collects herself, and goes to the restroom, wiping her tears away from her eyes and cheeks. She splashes water on her face, trying to forget the conversation she had with Yakov.

She looks at herself in the mirror, whispering,

"I'm so sorry Yakov…"

She leaves the bathroom and grabs her bags. She walks out of the room and closes the door. She hears a thud, knowing well enough it was Yakov punching the wall. He was angry and hurt, but she had a plan in mind. She needed to set it in motion.

If only he could have listened to her explanation.

She keeps walking to the front entrance where Nate and Janet were waiting for her by the limo. Nate walks up to her, grabbing her bags while Janet nods, hugging Maritza. She lets her go, facing Nate and Maritza.

"I'm here if you need anything. Keep in touch Maritza." Janet smiles as Maritza nods, getting inside the limo as Nate and Janet shake hands.

The deal had been sealed. In a few weeks, she would be under Nate's care.

The only problem was that far away, behind a window, Yakov was looking at the scene unfolding. Maritza had left Sunnydale.

Yakov had his plans, among them is to bring Maritza back to him.

He would try to make her life impossible to the point of bringing her back. Only this time, he was older and would have total control of the situation.

Maritza Voss will be back to her real home; Sunnydale.

* * *

Ronald walks inside his house, noticing the maids working a lot more than usual. He raises his eyebrow, wondering what was going on.

Was there some sort of special event he had forgotten was happening tonight?

He walks upstairs, dropping his school bag on the bed. He sits down on his chair and rolls over to his desk, where his MacBook was. He opens it, checking Facebook and scrolls through. He notices a notification from Gossip Girl, wondering what it was.

He opens it and couldn't believe his eyes.

It was a picture of him and Izaac talking outside after school.

He reads through the headline,

 _Seems a war is brewing between two well-known families. Get your cameras ready, it's a fight no one wouldn't want to miss. Like they say, like father, like son._

Ronald looks at it confused. Like father, like son? What is this person talking about anyway? He rolls his eyes as his phone vibrates with a text message from Leon.

" _Mind explaining what's going on between Izaac and you man?"_

Ronald texts back,

" _You know Izaac and I are not in the best terms right now. Gossip Girl is just rumors."_

He receives a fast text from Leon saying,

" _I know that, but a fight? You know we're not truly related, but he's still my cousin and family member. I'm just looking after him. I don't want this to break our friendship either. I value it as much as Henry's."_

Ronald sighs reading through Leon's text. It was reasonable that he's looking to moderate the situation after Gossip Girl's extreme and ridiculous headline.

" _Izaac and I may not get along, but I'm not going to start some kind of fight with him. I value our friendship too. We're like the three Musketeers. It would feel incomplete without you Leon."_

Leon responds back again, saying,

" _Awwh. I love the sound of that. GG is so your parent's generation. Who would even listen to this person anyway, am I right?"_

This makes Ronald roll his eyes and chuckle, responding back,

" _Pfft. You did. Anyway, it was helpful knowing that Jenny and Alex were flirting."_

Ronald knew Leon had a thing for Jenny Collins. He would prefer Jenny dating Leon instead of Alex. He doesn't have anything against Alex, but he was a well-known to make girls fall for him through being a gentleman and traps them into using them and ghosting them that same day.

Leon texts back saying,

" _That's not flirting. That's being helpful and nice. I've known Alex since he was little. He wouldn't go after Jenny. Anyway, Jenny's a big girl. She's not easy to persuade. The new girl part, wonder who she could be."_

Ronald smiles at Leon's text. He was right on one thing. Jenny isn't the type to make friends easily. In addition to that, she likes being unnoticed and wouldn't date a guy like Alex.

Ronald responds back, saying,

" _You're right about Jenny. I'm just going to wait and see who the new girl is. Maybe new girl could be Gossip Girl and just playing herself? I mean, how could Gossip Girl know that a new girl is attending Constance next week?"_

Ronald sends the message when one of the maids knocks his door.

"Mister Ronald, your father is requesting you to come downstairs."

Ronald nods, standing up from his chair and grabs his phone. He closes his laptop and notices that he hasn't changed from his uniform. He shrugs, deciding to change after. He walks out of his room, wondering why would his father be requesting to meet him downstairs for. Maybe it was linked as to why there was a lot of movement with the maids? Or maybe a new client coming over to eat with them and Ronald totally forgot about it?

He walks downstairs, noticing that his father hasn't arrived yet.

Clarissa, the Alexa's nanny, walks up to Ronald, ushering him to the living room and sitting him down on the sofa. Ronald looks at the nanny confused as she smiles politely, sitting Alexa down on the sofa.

"Clarissa, is something going on?"

The nanny responds,

"I don't know Ronald. Your father just requested for us to be in the living room." Ronald nods and sighs lowly.

They all hear the door open from the entrance as some of the maids walk past the living room.

Ronald listens faintly.

"Please, take these bags to her room."

Her room? Clarissa looks at Ronald confused. The only other person who has their own room would be his sister, Maritza. Could it be? That fast? No. It couldn't be. The last time they saw each other was at her weekend stay here after the family dinner they had together. She seemed hesitant to stay here after, but Alexa had begged her to, so she agreed to. They bonded really well during the whole weekend, but created some distance between him and their father. Even after their talk when he picked her up from her job that day, she still seemed that she couldn't let them in just yet.

Maybe one day she would let them in. Just for now, it would be baby steps. Ronald had already accepted her the moment she bonded with Alexa. She may be 5 years old, but could be a lot of work to deal with at times. What amazed him was how Maritza had the patience and time to play with their sister. She treated her well and that was important to Ronald.

He hears footsteps getting closer to the living room. Alexa jumps up and down, waiting impatiently.

He wasn't wrong.

It was his father with Maritza trailing behind.

She still looks as nervous as the first time she stepped foot here. Alexa was the first one to jump out of her seat and hug Maritza.

"Mawitza!" Maritza smiles, crouching down and hugging their sister.

"Hey buddy, how's the princess of the castle doing? You've been a good princess, right?" Alexa laughs as Ronald leans on the sofa, smiling at the exchange they were having. This is why it was easy for him to accept her.

He waves at Maritza and smiles, as she returns the smile.

Nate clears his throat as Maritza picks up Alexa.

"Now that I have your attention. Maritza will be staying with us starting today. She won't be going back to her orphanage. I beg of you all to make her feel welcome here as she's a family friend. She will be attending Constance next week. Maritza, please, feel welcome. This is your home now."

Ronald's eyes go wide with surprise. He blinks a few times as Alexa claps and laughs happily.

"Yay!"

Maritza smiles shyly as Nate grabs Alexa from Maritza's arms.

"I'm sorry. I'm not good saying this type of stuff. I'm so abrupt. Anyway, is dinner ready? I'd like to eat with the family tonight." He laughs with joy, leaving the living room. Clarissa smiles, patting Ronald on his back, leaving the living room.

There was an awkward silence.

Ronald loosens his tie, feeling the tension in the room. Maritza looks around the living room, feeling nervous and wondering if she made the right decision. Maybe Yakov was right on feeling angry.

But what's done is done. She's here now.

"So… Constance. Next week will be your first day?"

Maritza nods. Ronald chuckles, getting up from the sofa.

"Welcome home, Maritza."

* * *

It was after dinner, Nate was in his office with Maritza and Ronald sitting down on the sofa.

"So, you know what to say to every question, right?"

Both teens nod, looking bored out of their minds.

"Dad, we know what to say. Have a little faith, please?"

Maritza chuckles, agreeing wholeheartedly with Ronald.

"We know what to say Nate. I'm a family friend. A few years ago, my mom abandoned me and you've recently found me. My mom was a maid to your family and she was young. You made a promise of taking care of me. As for my father, his identity was never known. Happy?"

Ronald smiles at his sister's attitude. You could tell how annoyed she was.

"Good. Look, don't judge me. I'd like for everyone to know you're my daughter, but it would bring chaos to the household. Plus, I'd like to protect you all from the paparazzi and comments."

Ronald sighs, knowing too well his father's explanation. He knew that this truth wasn't just a burden, but a destruction that can bring upon them. Many would speculate as to how Maritza is their sister. Others could be cruel enough to say that she could be lying and would be using them. Some could even say that his father cheated on his mother.

"Look, I'm not really lying, per say. My mom did abandon me and you are my father is true. Now that my mom was a maid, I don't know. All I know is her name. That's about it."

The room becomes quiet, with Nate nodding at his daughter's response.

"Same story has been shared to the staff here. Secret is between us and your uncles and aunts. I will try to talk to them in private. For now, you are both free to go back to your rooms. Tomorrow's another day."

Maritza and Ronald nod, leaving the office. Ronald closes the door as Maritza waits for him.

Both start walking upstairs quietly.

It was Ronald who broke the silence.

"I hope you understand Maritza. My dad's having to try to maintain and image for the family." Maritza nods, knowing how difficult it had to be to digest the reality that she had a father as for Nate and Ronald to accept the fact that she existed and had Archibald blood running through her veins.

"I do. It's not my world Ronald. I have to admit that I feel scared."

Ronald chuckles.

"Well, you shouldn't be. No one will catch this lie easily. Plus, if one falls, we all fall."

Maritza nods. Ronald had to ask her something.

"Does it cross on your mind that you were from an affair?" Maritza looks down while still walking on the hallway. She stops, knowing too well that it was a possibility.

"Yeah. It crosses my mind. There's hurt and anger when I think about it. Illegitimate daughter of Nathaniel Archibald. But, you could say I'm used to this negativity."

Ronald grabs her hand.

"I didn't mean to bring this up. I'm really sorry. I'm an idiot for saying that. I just wish dad would just tell us the truth instead of us just wondering and all."

Maritza laughs at his response. She puts her free hand on Ronald's shoulder.

"Look, it's easy to say this, but I never think about it. Maybe because I never had a stable family or a motherly or fatherly figure to look up to unlike you. All I know is this, the truth will come out eventually. Maybe not tonight, but definitely in the future. This is why I'm scared. This will catch up to us eventually."

Ronald looks at Maritza and sighs. Maybe she was right, but for now, all they could do was to speculate or not think about it at all.

"Yeah, you're right. Get some sleep. It must have been a long day." Maritza smiles faintly, remembering how emotionally drained she was, especially with the unfortunate events that unfolded with Yakov. Both wave at each other, wishing a good night's sleep.

* * *

 **Sorry for the late chapter. I was wondering if I should do some POV's for some characters. Would that be more helpful or no? Please comment and give more suggestions!**

 **Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!**

 **Until next time!**

 **Recap** :

1) Yakov becomes angry at Maritza for leaving him. He has plans on bringing her back.

2) Will Maritza actually begin her plan, or will she eventually open up to her family?

3) Maritza is welcomed to the Archibald household. Nate has created a lie in order for Maritza not to have many questions being asked about her current situation.

4) Maritza and Ronald have a small talk about their parents' situation as to what really happened in the past.

-AskEliz


	12. Chapter 11: Jenny's Day

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THE GOSSIP GIRL OR GOSSIP GIRL PARTY CHARACTERS! ALL RIGHTFULLY TO THEIR OWNERS**

 _ **Summary (extended):**_ Maritza Voss is 16 years old and is wanting to declare emancipation along with her best friend, Yakov Hamilton, from the foster care system. The last thing she needs to collect in order to confront the judge is the signature of her biological father. Her mother has been declared deceased ever since leaving Maritza at the orphanage when she was 6 months old, never being found ever since. The problem? Nathaniel Archibald, CEO and sole owner of the successful magazine, The Spectator, is Maritza's biological father. How will Nate react when he finds out about Maritza's existence and the fact that Majida never told him about her pregnancy 16 years ago? How will his children, Ronald and Alexa, react about their half-sister's existence? How will the rest of the gang react to the news? What happened between Nate and Majida 16 years ago? How did it all start? Why did Majida keep her pregnancy a secret and never told Nate? Why did she abandoned her 6 month old daughter and disappeared? How will Maritza fit with the next generation of Gossip Girl?

 **Chapter 11: Jenny's Day**

Narrator's POV

 _A week after…._

Lily is walking through the streets of New York hand in hand with Henry. Both smile at each other and gossip about their lives, while Jenny trails behind, with her book bag minding her own business.

Henry looks behind, hoping Jenny doesn't trail too behind them since they had the perfect timing to get to school on time.

"Henry are you listening to me?"

Henry snaps his head back to his girlfriend, who wasn't looking none too pleased that Henry had ignored her. He smiles, looking guilty at his girlfriend.

"Sorry, it's just, don't you think your cousin is trailing too far behind us?"

Lily rolls her eyes, looking back at her cousin.

"She's fine. Anyway, seems to me like she's trailing behind purposely." Lily shrugs, pulling her boyfriend with her.

Not too far behind is a not too pleased Jenny who's grumbling and feeling annoyed at the fact that she had to walk to school today. Her uncle thought it would be a good idea for her to accompany the walking love birds to school, to which both girls protested earlier this morning.

 _Lily smiled when she read the text message from Henry. His plans were to walk with her to school, hand in hand. She was munching on her oat meal when Jenny sits on the opposite side of the table with her chocolate milk and French toast with eggs. Lilly gags mentally at her cousin's food choice for breakfast._

" _You know, if you ate healthier and took care of yourself, Aunty Blair would consider you to be working with her as one of her models for her clothing label. Just lose a few pounds and you could be like a Victoria secret model!"_

 _Jenny rolls her eyes, feeling annoyed. It was the same story every morning. Jenny wasn't fat, in fact, she's in a healthy position in regards with her weight. She didn't work out as much as her cousin, but she feels happy with her body image._

" _Who said I want to be a model anyway?" Jenny munches on her toast while Lily laughs at her cousin's weak defense._

" _Don't take it personal cuzzy, but I'm just stating facts. I mean, why do you think I'm the queen bee of the school? I've been voted as the prettiest girl from our grade since 9_ _th_ _grade." Lily eats some of her oat meal, smiling at her cousin. Jenny looks at her with a blank expression and ignores her, drinking her chocolate milk._

" _Whatever you say Lily." Lily rolls her eyes, then remembers what she read in gossip girl the other day._

" _So, you and Alex huh? I didn't think he would be into you of all people." Jenny sighs, wishing for the earth to open a whole and eat her up right then and there. She didn't want to go to school in the first place today since Alex has so many crazed girl fans who'd kill to be with him. At this point, all she could do was to pray and not to see Alex or any girl in the school today._

" _Gossip Girl exaggerated the situation. Alex and I were just talking about helping each other with schoolwork after school in the library and – "Lily stops her._

" _Of course it's exaggerated! Have you seen the girls Alex dated previously? He wouldn't go so low as to date a girl who hides behind her school books, glasses, and her drawings and paintings of buildings and people. He's part of the bachelor's most wanted men in our year. He's right up there with Izaac, Marc, and Kyle. Just like Henry, Ronald, and Leon, the famous good-looking trio. Ah, it feels good dating one of them." Lily leans against her hand, daydreaming about Henry. She loves Henry, but the sex with Izaac was amazing. She knows it might catch up to her at one point, but she also decided long ago to just have fun and live the moment._

 _Jenny laughs, pushing her cousin's remarks. She knew Alex would never like someone like her. She's being used to their advantage, but it is helpful being the cousin of the school's queen bee. It saved her from the constant bullying many students face through, especially those who are awarded with full ride scholarships to the school. She hopes to leave NYC and move to Massachusetts and attend the Boston College._

 _Serena walks in with her plate of fruit salad and some orange juice._

" _Good morning girls, how was your sleep?"_

 _Lily finishes eating her bowl of oat meal. "Good, I was just chatting with Lily about somethings for school today. Catch up with her, right Jen?"_

 _Jenny nods at her aunt as Serena smiles at both girls._

" _Well, that's good to hear."_

 _Not far behind, Dan walks into the dining room, kissing his wife on her cheek, as she chuckles and smiles. He looks at the scene that's in front of him._

" _How are my three favorite women doing in this fine morning?"_

 _Lily smiles happily at her father, Jenny gives a thumbs up as she finishes eating her toast, and Serena nods, smiling lovingly at her husband._

 _Dan sits down as Lily clears her throat._

" _So, mom, dad, I was thinking of instead taking the limo to school, I would walk with Henry. We want to spend some time together and was wondering if it was possible...?"_

 _Serena smiles, nodding giving her daughter permission right away, but as for Dan, he didn't agree right away._

" _Would it just be Henry and yourself walking to school?"_

 _Lily nods cheerfully._

" _Can I dad? Please?" Dan chuckles. Oh the memories. He looks at Serena, who was silently glaring at him. If those eyes were guns, he'd be dead by now._

" _Sure honey, you'll just have to take your cousin with you." Jenny looks shocked at her uncle while Lily huffs, crossing her arms._

" _No way!" Lily stands up indignantly, disagreeing with her father._

" _What Lil said! No way! I don't want to be a third wheel here! Hello!" Dan smiles, ignoring Serena's disapproving look towards him._

" _The no walking with Henry then. Take it or leave it." Lily grumbles, mumbling a fine and drags Jenny with her. Dan chuckles and smiles at his wife innocently._

" _Hey, we were young once." Serena slaps Dan's arm and rolls her eyes at Dan's lame excuse then laughs, shaking her head._

" _Dan Humphrey being a father. Wonder how 20 year old Dan would say to the older version of you today." Dan laughs and grabs his wife's hand, kissing it and looking at his wife lovingly._

" _He'd agree with me."_

 _Back in the living room, both girls are getting ready to leave for school._

" _Henry said he'd be here in a few. Stay a few feet away from us, Please." Jenny nods._

" _I was planning on it anyway. Don't worry about me." Jenny puts on her glasses and her scarf. They hear the bell ring and both girls leave the living room to meet up with Henry._

Jenny leaves the past and furrows her eyebrows together, noticing she lost her cousin and her boyfriend from her sight.

Good.

She puts on her earphones and puts on some music on her phone while walking to school. She listens to Back to Black by Amy Winehouse and hums to the beat as she continues walking through the streets of New York.

She remembers the talk she had with her cousin earlier this morning. She looks up at the sky, wondering why fate had given her a cousin who was selfish and coincided. She wondered what Henry saw in her in the first place, but she also knew Lily's beauty was incomparable against hers.

She sighs when she hears a beeping noise. She turns around and sees a limo pull up on the side of the street. The windows roll down, revealing Alex and his friends inside the limo. Jenny takes her earphones off, wondering what's going on.

Alex waves at Jenny while Izaac looked uninterested and annoyed. Marc and Kyle smile politely at Jenny.

"Hey Jenny, I thought you always ride the limo to school?" Jenny nods and laughs.

"Long story short, Lily wanted to walk with Henry, but my uncle wouldn't let her unless I walked with them too. So here I am now." Alex chuckles, smiling at Jenny.

"So, where are they? You seem to be walking all alone now."

"I lost sight of them. I wanted to give them some space. You know, they're a couple and haven't seen much of each other lately." Alex nods in understanding.

"Well, you are welcome to ride with us if you'd like." Jenny shakes her head.

"Thank you, but I'm fine with walking to school. It's helping me clear my mind and have my own time." Alex shakes his head.

"Jennifer, I insist. Get in. We're happy to give you a ride. Plus, won't you be late to school? Look at the time." At this, Marc chimes in the conversation.

"It's not a problem for us! We don't mind giving you a ride! What are classmates for anyway?"

Kyle laughs while Izaac rolls his eyes.

"Isn't the saying, 'what are friends for,' Marc?" Marc glares at Kyle's comment.

"Trying to help a brother here!" Jenny giggles at Marc's exaggerated reaction. She sighs and looks at her phone. Alex wasn't lying when he said she could be late to class. She composes herself.

"Fine, I'll accept your ride. Just because I'll be late to class. Nothing more. Nothing less." Alex smiles at Jenny's answer and nods. He opens the door and Jenny gets inside the limo as Kyle makes space for Jenny to sit. She sits next to Kyle, but opposite to Alex and Izzac. The limo starts to move again.

"Aren't you worried for the chaos that's about to be brought at school because of this and Gossip Girl?"

Jenny turns to Kyle, who was the one who asked the question, gaining Izaac's, Alex's, and Marc's attention.

"Not really. If you must know, I'm just the cousin of the queen bee Lily Humphrey. Nothing special. Plus, I can't be bullied since my cousin would blacklist them. My last name has little to no recognition at school. My looks aren't too special either. If it wasn't because I was living with my uncles, I would just have been some random person in school." Jenny smiles at Kyle, with Alex facing the window, grimacing at Jenny's response. He couldn't believe how low she thought of herself.

Kyle shakes his head and tsks at Jenny's response.

"Thinking so low of yourself? That's sad." Jenny laughs and rolls her eyes. She smiles at Kyle while Izaac gags at the exchange they were having.

"You guys really don't know the fame and rumors circulating around you? I mean, you guys are the bachelor's most wanted in New York." Izaac chuckles and smiles. He loves the title and the fame.

"I guess you're right Jenny. Wouldn't that taint your good girl look if you were seen riding with us?" Izaac tilts his head sideways, looking at Lily's cousin. She wasn't as good looking like Lily, but she did have a better heart than Lily. He really wouldn't want to mess with Jenny, especially when she's always hiding and wanting to move around without being noticed.

"Who knows. I'm irrelevant, remember?" Marc slides close to Jenny, to which she raises her eyebrow.

"I can help change that?" Jenny pushes Marc away from her as Alex rolls his eyes at his friend's response. He couldn't help but feel annoyed at the attention Jenny was getting from his best friends, especially Kyle's.

Marc laughs at Jenny's reaction while Izaac flicks Marc's forehead.

"Idiot, get back to your spot. Always hitting on every girl." Izaac grumbles as Marc smiles apologetically at Jenny. Alex clears his throat, gaining Jenny's attention.

"So, Jenny, what do you say about meeting after school for the tutoring we arranged a few days back?" Jenny sighs.

"Wouldn't that be a problem now that Gossip Girl revealed our location?"

"Not really. We can just drive by my house after school. I have my own library." Jenny blinks at Alex's response and nods slowly. Izaac looked at Alex weirdly for a second, but thought of asking him later when they were alone.

The limo comes to a stop and Alex opens the door, letting Jenny leave the limo first with Marc, Izaac, Kyle and himself leaving the limo. Students were looking shocked and surprised that Jenny had been riding with the boys. Girls were glaring, others were gossiping, while some were too shocked to even speak.

Not too far away from the entrance, Lily was sitting on the steps of the school looking at the scene unfolding before her eyes. She looked serious and unhappy at the situation. Why did she ride with them in the first place?

Jenny turns around, facing all four boys.

"Thank you for the ride to school. It was a pleasure riding with you guys. I had a lot of fun." Jenny smiles as Alex also smiles back. She waves, walking past her cousin, who she didn't acknowledge and went inside. Lily noticed the way Alex was starting her cousin. She didn't know why Alex looked like a lost puppy when looking at her cousin. Maybe she saw wrong and was becoming blind, but she knew she had to ask Izaac the next time they would meet in secret for their rendezvous adventure about the situation.

Henry comes and hugs Lily, kissing her on the cheek. She smiles and snuggles close to him.

"Gotta go love, Leon's waiting for me at the cafeteria. Talk to you later." Lily nods and smiles. Not long after, her minions walk up to her and sit next to her to gossip about the latest news of school. From who is dating who to who is beefing with who to criticizing wardrobe malfunctions.

From the other side, Izaac and Alex are sitting down on the table, waiting for Marc and Kyle to return from the restroom. Alex took the opportunity to ask Izaac what was up with him and Ronald, the Archibald heir.

"Nothing important. Gossip Girl takes things to another extreme. Like always. Now, what's up with you and Lily's cousin? Seems like someone wants to get close to a certain someone."

Alex scoffs and rolls his eyes.

"I just need help on school and thought Jenny would be the perfect person to ask tutoring on. Anyway, nothing more. Nothing less. I must admit though; Jenny's words did hurt me a little bit. Her self-confidence is so low. I feel bad for her in a way that… damn. It must suck being in Lily's cousin." Izaac nods.

"I agree. Lily tends to be cruel, but only you and I know why she's become cruel. Ever since that night a year ago, Lily hasn't been the same. Hey, isn't it about the same time Ronald, Leon, and Henry stopped being party animals?"

"When you mention it… yeah. They've gone MIA on recent parties. You don't think they know what happened that night between Lily and Milo right?" Izaac looks around, leaning closely to Alex, shushing him and whispers lowly,

"No one's supposed to know Milo appeared that night. Anyway, Henry wouldn't be dating Lily if he knew what happened between them. It would bring chaos to not only Gossip Girl, but to their lives. Their families have been close for a long time." Alex nods.

"Yeah, but they're not as innocent as many seem to want to believe. Did you know Lily's dad was Gossip Girl back then?" Izaac raises his eye brown, looking at Alex with shock.

"Lily's dad? Dan Humphrey? No way. How did you know this?" Alex chuckles, smiling proudly.

"Sources. Being a royal has it's perks." Alex smiles and chuckles while Izaac punches him playfully. Izaac grabs his phone, checking the time.

7:20am.

Izaac sighs, wondering where Kyle and Marc have gone if they had said they would be going to the restroom and come back right away.

* * *

Kyle is leaning against the lockers, waiting for Marc to finish the conversation he was having with one of Lily's minions. He couldn't understand Marc as to why he would even consider flirting with one of Lily's minions.

For Kyle, they wouldn't be worth his time to even chat with. What would they even talk about in the first place? Unlike with Jenny, they wouldn't be able to keep a friendly conversation going without any flirting taking place.

"Alright, I'll see ya around!" Marc winks at the girl then turns around, walking towards Kyle, who sighs with boredom.

"You done now?" Marc laughs at Kyle's annoyed response and nods, walking past him. Kyle composes himself and walks behind Marc, feeling a bit annoyed.

Passing by the library, Kyle notices Jenny Collins reading a book, to which grabbed his interest. She's sitting a sofa next to the window with the view of the back of the school, seemingly ignoring her surroundings. She pushes her glasses back, as she looks out the window for a second then moves her eyesight towards the book she was reading. She had tied her hair into a ponytail, seemingly concentrated on the book she was reading.

Marc notices Kyle wasn't behind him walking and turns around, seeing how Kyle has stopped at one of the library's entrances. He walks towards Kyle, seeing how he was looking directly at Jennifer Collins. For Marc, it was interesting how she was totally opposite of Lily, which was refreshing for him. She wasn't start struck as other girls would have been, but she wasn't full of herself like girls her age or even part of their social class.

"Don't you think you're staring too much to the point of being a creep?" At this, Kyle blinks a few times and turns looking at Marc. March chuckles and tilts his head sideways.

"Don't tell me, developed a crush on a certain someone?" Kyle rolls his eyes.

"What makes you say that? I was actually interested in how the library looks. I'm thinking of asking my dad to build a library for Leon and I. Can't I gather some ideas?" Marc nods, chuckling at Kyle's response.

"I believe you man. Don't you think Jenny Collins is… interesting? I don't mean it in a bad way. A girl would have freaked out being in our presence, but Jenny was shy, but made conversation with us like normal people. It seems refreshing, don't you think? Even Izaac, the ice king, made some talk with Jenny." Kyle nods.

"Yeah, she's refreshing. How about you head back with Izaac and Alex? I'll stay here at the library. I'll see ya guys during lunch."

Kyle walks inside the library, without waiting Marc's answer. Marc notices that Kyle walks right up to Jenny and seems to sit down next to her. She puts her book down as Kyle puts his stuff down and she looks at him surprised. Marc laughs and shakes his head, and stats walking back to his friends.

 **Sorry for the long wait! I wanted a chapter without Maritza, Ronald, or Yakov and add a little bit more about Jenny, Izaac, Alex, Marc, Kyle, Lily, and a littl ebit of Henry.  
**

 **Hope you guys like it! Leave comments as how I can improve the story! Thanks!**

 **-AskEliz**


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